Finanzierung von Erwachsenen- und Weiterbildung in Österreich

This article examines the results of a 2012 study of funding for adult and continuing education in Austria that was conducted by the Institute for Advanced Studies on behalf of the Chamber of Labour in Vienna. A presentation of the initial situation and the methodological approach is followed by information about the amount and breakdown of public and private funding of continuing education. The development of the public budget and the funds procured by the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice - AMS in German) to increase the qualifications of unemployed people is shown as well as company expenses for continuing education and spending by private households. A comparison of Austria with Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Australia shows that Austria has the highest average expenditure per adult in the continuing education sector. This can be attributed to the higher than average contribution of private households to the funding, whereas public and corporate expenditure lies within the average range of the countries that were compared.