Education parental leave: What changes the training period brings!

Education parental leave: What changes the training period brings!

Education leave, an important part of further training promotion in Austria, will be replaced by the new regulation called "Continuing education time" on January 1, 2026. This was presented on April 2, 2025 by Federal Minister of Economics Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP). The decision to abolish was made to implement savings plans and optimize the effectiveness of the educational leave. Instead of continuing the educational leave, the government pursues the goal of creating a location policy measure to increase working hours and to further qualify employees. As 5min.at , the further education time will come into force from 1. January 2026 and introduce a mandatory educational advice.

The previous regulations of the educational leave will end on March 31, 2025, whereby the last option to agree with the employer can be completed by February 28, 2025. These transitional provisions make it possible to continue to receive further training allowance as long as the measures begin by May 31, 2025. If you have already secured an educational leave, you can carry it out to the end, in detail Chamber of Labor explained.

stricter requirements for the further training period

The upcoming regulation of the training period brings stricter requirements that primarily aim to prevent abuse. In the future, the minimum extent for an educational measure will be 20 hours per week. For courses, employees have to acquire at least 20 ECTS points instead of the 8 points required so far. This new regulation was also emphasized by Education Minister Christoph Return, who emphasized the importance for individual educational cars and the economy. An impairment by the review of the relevance of labor market policy measures is also sought, such as Puls24

An important component is the obligation that employees must be employed by their current employer for at least one year before they can take advantage of the training period. In addition, the connection of the educational leave to a parental leave will no longer be possible. It is also necessary for employees to define the current level of education, the educational measure and the educational goal together with their employer before the start of the training period.

financing and target groups

The funds for the new regulation are estimated at a maximum of 150 million euros annually. The focus is on those people who have a lower formal education and are to be enabled by financial support for further training. The Federal Government not only expects these measures to strengthen the individual educational paths, but also substantial savings for the state, which should add up to several hundred million euros per year. The final elaboration of the model should take place before the summer of 2025 to ensure timely implementation by the labor market service (AMS).

Although the educational leave as a concept disappears from the funding landscape, educational leave and part -time part -time part -time can continue to be agreed without state support between employer and employee. These transition options are important to alleviate the existing framework for further training while the new rules come into force. Unique changes during the educational leave and termination options during this time were also determined.

Overall, it can be seen that the Austrian government is determined to adapt the further training opportunities to the current economic and social conditions. The introduction of the training period could initiate a new era in vocational training in the country.