Industry: "Great job" campaign shows initial success

Education campaign raises potential for lateral entry – reforms to make the teaching profession urgently needed

Vienna (OTS) – “We are delighted with the successful launch of the ‘Class Job’ campaign in the first four months. The focus on career changers who bring their professional life experiences from business and industry to the schools is particularly important. As a result, valuable experience from professional practice flows into the classroom,” said IV General Secretary Christoph Neumayer on the occasion of the presentation of the interim results of the “Class Job” campaign of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. In the first four months, over 1,000 applications were received from potential career changers.

“The three-stage certification process with submission of application documents, an online assessment and a personal interview is accessible and up-to-date. The extra-occupational studies at the teacher training colleges must also meet this requirement. Courses for career changers should also be offered when there are no classes in order to avoid the double burden during the school year,” Neumayer continues.

The lack of educators poses great challenges for Austria’s schools and kindergartens. From the point of view of the Federation of Industry and Commerce, the lack of qualified teachers must be addressed with a broad reform offensive. “This includes, among other things, reforms in training to strengthen practical relevance and enable part-time studies, as well as increasing the number of administrative and psychological support staff in educational institutions,” concludes the IV Secretary General.