Apprentice parliament 2025: Young voices shape Austria's future!

Apprentice parliament 2025: Young voices shape Austria's future!

On May 26 and 27, 2025, the apprenticeship parliament took place in Vienna in 2025, in which 80 apprentices from Vorarlberg, Upper Austria and Vienna took part. The aim of the event was to impart an understanding of the legislative process in Austria and the role of parliament to the young participants. Organized in four clubs, the apprentices debated about the fictional application for the law "New regulations for company apprenticeship training".

The event was professionally supported by Jürgen Kraft from the Austria and Mario Springer from the Lower Austria Chamber of Lower Austria. Jürgen Kraft praised the commitment and thirst for knowledge of the participants, while Mariana Kühnel from the Economic Chamber of Austria emphasized the importance of the apprenticeship parliament for political education. In addition, the apprentices received support from MPs from FPÖ, ÖVP, SPÖ, Neos and Greens, and the chair was taken over by National Council President Walter Rosenkranz.

meaning of political education

The importance of well -founded political education is undisputed, especially for the younger generation. According to the Federal Center for Political Education, democracy is dependent on education, especially on political education. As early as 2006, Federal President Horst Köhler emphasized the need for mature citizens for a functioning democracy. In this context, dual vocational training, which is the entry into professional life for 60% of 16- to 20-year-olds, is a crucial field.

political education is not only important for pupils, but also for trainees. Unfortunately, in practice it turns out that political lessons in vocational schools are often not sufficient to convey a well -founded political understanding. Recent studies, such as the Shell youth study, illustrate the high level of acceptance of democracy in young people, but also show clear differences in political participation. innovative approaches are required here to both promote and integrate political education, which in turn could include action -oriented lessons.

political education in youth work

Political education also plays a central role in the field of youth work. The department for political education promotes extra -curricular political education in this area through professionalization and quality development. The 16th children's and youth report from 2020 affects the relevance of political education in youth work.

dr. Helle Becker gained essential knowledge in a qualitative study on democracy education in youth work. Current research projects also deal with topics such as participatory memory pedagogy and the visualization of political moments in open child and youth work. It becomes clear that the political interests and the commitment of young people must be promoted decisively.

Overall, it can be seen that political education and the integration of this topic into the training and further education of the youth are not only necessary, but also urgently required to educate the next generations to form or mature.

The plenary debate of the apprentice parliamentary lamentation can be seen in the parliament media library, which is a valuable opportunity for everyone who is interested in the political participation of young people.

For more information: OTS reports that ... | bpb.de provides insights into political education in dual vocational training | Transfer Political Education illuminates topics of youth work