Too late?! – Adult Vocational Education and Training

The Austrian qualification system continues to have a "classic" structure: formal initial vocational training takes place in young adulthood, followed by a wide range of predominantly non-formal further training and retraining opportunities. However, in times of lifelong learning, demographic change and technological innovations and upheavals, the question arises as to whether these forms and the sequencing of skilled labour qualification should be expanded to include a segment of "adult vocational education and training". This question was discussed on 2nd April 2025 at the second Vocational Training Jour fixe, a joint event organised by Research & Development in VET (ibw), Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), L&R Sozialforschung GmbH (L&R), Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training (öibf) and Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO). Data, facts, and various instruments shed light on the necessity and possible approaches for such an expansion.