The Berufsförderungsinstitut Wien / Vocational Training Institute Vienna (BFI Wien)

Is one of Austria’s leading institutes of employee-oriented vocational education and continuing training. It was established by the Federal Chamber of Labour and the Austrian Trade Union Federation in 1959.

BFI Wien provides education with the objective of strengthening the professional and social integration of our target groups, securing their workplaces as well as reintegrating them into the labour market. BFI Wien works for public institutions such as the Austrian national Employment Service, the Viennese Employment Fund, various ministries and European organisations as well as for the private sector companies in commerce, service, trade and industry. Subsidiaries of the BFI Wien are the Fachhochschule des BFI Wien (University of Applied Sciences BFI Wien), Schulen des BFI Wien (Commercial Schools of BFI Wien).

BFI Wien provides a wide range of services in the field of vocational training and qualification, career counselling and guidance, activation and advisory services. VET training covers areas such as IT and communication technologies, tourism, health and social services, transport and traffic, building, wood, metal and electrical trades.

Basic skills training is of importance in many of BFI Wien programmes to include persons with low educational background, with learning difficulties and disabilities as well as with school drop-out careers. In most cases the basic skill training is part of a comprehensive vocational training. Either it is integrated into the training or it is implemented before the vocational or technical training. BFI Wien provides basic skills training in calculation and mathematical-logical understanding, writing and communication, social skills and German as a second and technical language. Examples are the “Integrative Vocational training courses according to the Austrian Vocational education law”, “Jugendwerkstatt (Youth workshop)” and “Lernwerkstatt (learning workshop)” a special opportunity for youths from 15 – 17 years who are shifting from school to apprenticeships/jobs. Currently BFI Wien employs about 600 persons and works together with 600 freelancers. We train about 40.000 persons per year.