Vienna starts new funding initiative for climate -friendly apprenticeships

Vienna starts new funding initiative for climate -friendly apprenticeships

The city of Vienna has launched a new funding program that is specially intended for teaching companies that train in climate -friendly professions. During an event in the town hall that was dedicated to the Festival of Vienna's apprenticeship training, the starting signal for the next phase of this program was given. The aim is to increase the number of apprentices in these important, environmentally friendly professions and thus make a contribution to Vienna's desired climate neutrality by 2040

The city of Vienna has been pursuing ambitious climate goals for years. A central element of these efforts is the Vienna Climate Protection Act, which is expected for 2024. In order to support local businesses and to promote the training of young people in the field of climate protection, the new program was launched, which enables companies to receive financial support if they hire new apprentices.

Details on the program

In the first phase of the project, Viennese businesses who accept apprentices in climate -relevant professions in the first or second year were able to apply for funding. The Waff, a fund of the city of Vienna, provided 1,100 euros per month for apprentices in the first year of apprenticeship and 1,500 euros for those in the second year. These amounts could be obtained over a period of up to nine months (for the first year) and ten months (for the second year). Due to the positive feedback, a continuation of the program has now been announced, which has some adjustments.

Josef Baumgartner, media spokesman for the Waff, emphasized the importance of a common memorandum, which obliges everyone involved to support climate -oriented apprenticeships. This also includes the social partners who want to develop a specific apprenticeship monitoring together with the WAFF to support the effort to increase the apprenticeship situation in climate -like professions.

For the coming year, up to 41 different climate -relevant professions should benefit from the program. A company can receive up to 9,900 euros for each apprentice in the first year of apprenticeship and up to 15,000 euros for apprentices in the second year. In addition, an additional incentive of 1,000 euros is offered if a woman is hired as an apprentice to increase the current proportion of women in these professions, which is 38 percent. The funded professions include wood technology, mechatronics and carpentry.

Since September 1, 196 companies have applied for grants for a total of 318 newly admitted apprentices. In 2023/24, the waff has around 5.4 million euros available to further advance the climate -friendly training initiatives.

Political decision -makers such as the City of Economics Peter Hanke underlined the importance of this initiative not only for climate protection, but also for the economic future of the city. "The Viennese climate apprenticeship initiative is an outstanding example of how to manage both climate-political challenges through joint efforts in vocational training and positively influence the labor market," said Hanke during the event. The honor of 37 teaching companies with the quality seal "Top-apprenticeship" during the festival was also a highlight of the event.

For more information about the funding program, interested parties can visit the Waff website, where all details about registration and the conditions can be found.