In Austria several transition points exist within the education and training system which are relevant for successful pathways from the school to the world of work. For the most of them legal regulations are settled that should support a smooth transition of young people from school to the world of work.

The first essential transition point is after primary school for the step into the lower secondary system. Austria´s educational structure has as core element a so called “Early tracking” between the fourth and fifth grade into the so called “General education school/Gymnasium” or so called “Hauptschule” – “New Middle School”. One of the most visible effects of this tracking is a quite higher percentage of young people who attend the “Hauptschule” who make later on a choice for the apprenticeship – dual vocation education after finishing the compulsory school in comparison to young people who attend the AHS/Gymnasium.

The next transition point is a quite complex structure between the eight and the tenth (eleventh) grate. In principle for all young people the accesses is open to upper secondary education in the field of general or vocational education, but there are some practical differencies and imbalances of pathways at these transition points.

The upper secondary system in vocational education is divided in two main lines, in full-time school (one to five years) and in part-time school plus training in companies (dual system – apprenticeship). The full-time school at upper secondary levels starts at grade 9, the apprenticeship – dual system starts at the tenth grade. All young people who want to attend the dual system must make a choice for an one year program at grade 9 for bridging the 8th to the 10th grade. The highest percentage of young people at this level attend the “prevocational school” (Polytechnische Schule) which has the strongest focus on preparation of young people for the world of work to help them to make a good prepared decision concerning to own potentials, talents and interests. Some training offers (e.g. in the health and the social sector) starts at the 11th grade so young people must attend one year longer an other school type before.

The third transition point is after finishing the upper secondary to make a choice for a further education at university, university of applied science or other tertiary or post secondary programs or try to make a step directly into the labour market.

About 40 percent of young people starts a postsecondary or tertiary program (the percentage of young people who finish the vocational school at upper secondary level and attend directly the labour market is much higher related to persons who finish a general education school.

For all these transition points legal regulations exist. The most important are regulations for access to school (mostly based on the marks of former school types, sometimes with entrance tests). Additional laws based services for guidance and counselling exist in all schooltypes from the beginning of the lower secondary level. Mainly exist three offers for guidance and counselling, the first is a curriculum based subject “educational and vocational orientation” at 7th and 8th grade for young people. The second is a more individualized service, the so called “school counsellors” and the third is a service by the school psychologists addressed to persons and issues with special questions and needs.

Lifelong guidance is a key strategic line within the lifelong learning strategic concept in Austria. The process of transition from school to world of work – a process who starts with about 13 years at the latest and ends not earlier than in the age of 27 – is one of the most challenging area for guidance because all personal, professional social etc. development processes after this period depends on the successful transition in this phase.

Austria has some special features in this area of “transition guidance”, guidance in school, guidance at the interfaces between school and world of work, special school types like “prevocational school”, high percentage of VET in upper secondary etc., but also some open questions, concerning not completing upper secondary, school drop out, postsecondary and tertiary education etc.

There are some new initiatives to support young people at the interfaces between school and the world of work like the actual program of “educational guarantee until 18”, combined with a program “youth coaching”, these programs are upcoming and are to evaluate later on, this is also the case for programs like the “study checker” or “school social work”.