- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2022
Improving staff working conditions for better quality in early childhood education and care in Austria
The Commission supports Austria on a reform to improve the working conditions, capacity and quality of staff in early childhood education and care (ECEC) as a key factor for the quality of education and care for young children.
Context
Participating in ECEC of high quality has many benefits for children’s development and future success in life. It is also a key factor for parent’s employment. The demand for ECEC for children from 0 to 6 is rising in Austria, however, a shortage in trained ECEC professionals has led to limited provision and decreased enrolment rates, specifically among children aged 0-3 years old. This shortage has been linked to the great variety of staffing and employment conditions across the federal provinces and municipalities, to negative perceptions around the attractiveness of the profession and to high fluctuation of staff due to retirement and to moves towards employers or regions offering more attractive working conditions.
Support delivered
The project has the following key activities and outputs to achieve the above outcomes:
- An analysis of working conditions and the main factors impacting on the quality of the workforce in Austria’s ECEC sector
- An analysis of European good practice on strengthening ECEC workforce conditions, including peer exchanges with Ireland and Germany, and a study visit to Finland
- A model framework for ECEC staffing quality and conditions, jointly developed with a working group of representatives from the federal authorities, the federal provinces and other stakeholders
- Recommendations to inform an implementation strategy for improving ECEC Framework conditions, including elements for a roadmap, action plan, and monitoring & evaluation framework.
- A concept for a communication strategy and associated tools
Results achieved
The expected long-term effect of this project is strengthened quality, availability, equity and stability of ECEC workforce in Austria and reduced staff shortages. This will contribute to better access to and quality of ECEC services in the country.
More specifically the project is expected to provide the Austrian authorities with:
- extensive knowledge of the current status of the ECEC sector and implications for staffing.
- a model framework for ECEC Staffing Quality and Conditions, jointly developed by the federal and province levels, along with a monitoring framework;
- a detailed implementation strategy on the improvement of framework conditions and recruitment in ECEC, including a nationwide action plan and a roadmap for implementation.
- a concept for a national communication and advocacy campaign aimed at increasing uptake of the ECEC profession.
Useful links
Ministry press release at kick-off (DE):
https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/Ministerium/Presse/20221201a.html
More about the project
You can read the documents related to the project here: