A very short survey:

To receive full social insurance benefits, disabled or impaired employees must at least achieve 50% of a "working-efficiency level" (In simple terms: a person with disabilities must be able to work with at least 50% of the efficiency compared to a person without a disability. (the term "working-efficiency" is used in the text to indicate that).

Full social insurance in Austria includes:
- unemployment benefit
- the right for a pension
- health insurance
- accident insurance

Here is one exceptional example from the Province of Salzburg, where 30% working-efficiency of a handicapped person, compared to a person without handicap is sufficient in order to be employed and therefore be able to benefit from social insurance, with the current exception of the right for a pension. To be entitled to a pension requires at least 50% of working-efficiency. And if the person about to retire does not achieve this level at the beginning of the retirement, he or she must have reached it once before.

These are the main items of the legal framework, applicable for the whole Federal State:
- Subsidised labour costs (different duration of time)
- Subsidised apprentice education (people, who are able to pass the final apprentice exam)
- Protection against dismissal
- Quota systems (employers must employ a target-percentage of recognised disabled workers or pay a levy (tax), which is redistributed to people with handicaps by subsidising particular programmes.)
- Anti-discrimination act

EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF PUPILS AT THE END OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION: Main routes and choices:

Regular Schools:
After 8 school years of compulsory schooling students may attend vocational training in pre-vocational schools called "Polytechnische Schule". The curriculum offers the "final touch" of the general education and information about different kinds of professions, accompanied by practical lessons in workshops. The students get an overview and some practical preparation concerning the profession they are interested in. This type of school finalises compulsory education. It is often attended by students, who want to start apprenticeship.
For students with SEN pilot projects have been implemented in the "Polytechnische Schule" In Vienna most children with SEN who were integrated in mainstream schools successfully attend this type of school. Basically in capitals or big cities the quota of students with SEN is sometimes too high and only few vocational schools (upper secondary) have opened their doors for education of SEN students (only pilot projects are possible because a particular law is still missing). Therefore, parents' associations and some committed pedagogues and experts demand further options for these young people, like mainstreaming in vocational schools (Berufsschulen) or other upper secondary schools.

Special Schools
Many teachers in schools for pupils with learning difficulties and schools for pupils with mental disabilities start particular programmes in their final-year class in order to prepare young people for life after school.
These programmes were launched about 10 years ago, but the number of schools providing such programmes increased a lot during the past two or three years. Such programmes reached a climax over the last two or three years. As a pre-vocational year (Berufsvorbereitungsjahr) in special schools has been implemented by law recently, a curriculum had been developed by a group of experts appointed by the Ministry of Education.
The new curriculum is an open framework, which has to be adapted by teachers according to the pupils' individual needs.

Key elements are:
- Finalising general education referring to individual abilities
- Improving individual knowledge and skills
- Offering a broad variety of vocational training possibilities
- They should learn to accept social rules in society
- Preparing students for an 8-hour working day
- Emphasising general key competencies:
- Ability to participate in teamwork
- Acceptance of rules
- Being on time
- Being polite
- Proper care of body and clothes etc.

Austria is trying an approach towards transition by putting emphasis on the many prerequisites, which are decisive for getting a job.
It is important that any transition concept has to be adapted to the pupils' individual needs. Particular technical lessons (e.g. how to use certain tools properly) might be already less important for several students at the end of compulsory education, because the demands in companies are changing so rapidly, that instruction concerning handling of machines or computers, etc. is often organised by themselves.
Many teachers write an individual report at the end of the school year. A description of the individual progress may be added to the formal report anyway.

In-Service Training
The in-service transition training for teachers is provided by teacher-training institutes (Pedagogical Institutes). These programmes play an important role concerning the aims of transition and shall help improve overall quality of school education.
The co-ordination between the job service, schools and social departments of the local governments often work efficiently but there is still a lot left to do.

Clearing and Job Assistance- Link from School to Labour Market
Getting the Job- Keeping the Job
Thanks to a programme financed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, a "Clearing Concept" has been developed and carried out by different federal agencies. Particular trained experts support students with SEN in close co-operation with the students' parents and the school. The clearing process includes developing a profile of the students' strong and weak points, discovering their particular interests or possible needs of additional education, increased career planning co-ordination between school and labour market in the regions….
Another project, "Job Assistance", was started to enable young employees with disabilities or severe emotional problems to keep their job. "Job Assistants" keep close contact with the employer and the individual employee in order to find appropriate solutions in case help is needed.
Although the 'Clearing Concept' has been implemented rather recently, experts are quite confident that these programmes are very efficient in enhancing the process of transition.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF YOUNG PEOPLE AFTER COMPULSORY EDUCATION

Vocational Education/ Training- Dual System in Austria
In Austria, vocational training (apprenticeship) is organised in companies and vocational schools (Berufsschulen). Students work in companies, where they learn to fulfil the demands of their individual profession step by step. Additionally, they have to attend a vocational school once a week or 10 weeks a year to study important subjects.

For students with SN, there are several special institutions for vocational education focusing on different target-groups. Training on the job is organised by official schools or private associations. They offer several working fields (gardening, such aspects of tourist industry as room service or kitchen work etc.), where students with disabilities can apply in practice what they have learned theoretically in school. Depending on the individual skills, various levels can be achieved ranging from the skills required at apprentices' final examinations to the level of the average unskilled worker.

The target group is the people with slight behavioural disorders and learning disabilities as well as people with mental disabilities. The key element of vocational education is the "guided approach" towards independent living. It is possible for people to live outside the institution in "their own" flat, thus "proving" their ability to live on their own. Recent projects support students with SEN in mainstream schools for vocational training with help varying from additional training after school to special support during school attendance (e.g. sign language for hearing impaired children). Specially adapted programmes for students with special needs lead to a certificate called "Partly Qualified Apprenticeship". In pilot projects young people get the chance to fully participate in a place of work (paid by the employer) plus being educated according to their needs at school.

Programmes, Maintained by Job Service Centres, Other Support Organisations, Associations or Companies

Courses
These courses and projects are attended by young people with such disorders, like learning disabilities or behavioural problems, but they are not "disabled" according to the law.
There are courses in order to make up for the lower secondary level. Other courses are supposed to improve general key-competencies (soft skills), necessary for work and employment.

Companies
Several companies offer supported employment. That means, that these companies have to achieve a certain level of economic competition. Employees are paid according to the results of negotiations between employers and trade unions ("collective agreement").

Job Assistance
Those who left some type of qualification programme (such as vocational education, or some programme of the labour administration, or work-projects) get assistance concerning job-acquisition. During the first year of employment they get assistance for making a smooth entry into it, or in case of trouble. The employer can also call the assistant in case of difficulties or problems.

Work-Projects
Work-projects provide occupation (or similar activities) but they do not have the legal status of employment.
"Lebenshilfe", e.g. is an institution for people with severe mental disabilities who can hardly find a job on the labour market because of their disabilities. Although their working-efficiency might be classified below 30%, they still can do something. These people work in small groups (about 6 persons) for communities or companies, but are not employed, only get some pocket money and receive benefits from their parents' insurance. Although some people have been successful in getting employment after having spent some time in a working-project, the aim of transition is rarely achieved.
Lebenshilfe offers many different levels of independent living and provides training for that very purpose.