Going abroad as an apprentice with Erasmus+. Take part now!

More and more apprentices discover the advantages of an internship abroad: fortunately, demand for Erasmus+ vocational training is on the rise: in 2025, with 1,715 approved Erasmus+ stays for apprentices (participants from Austria going abroad), a new record was set since the programme began in 1995 – this is an increase of more than 35% compared to the previous record year of 2024 with 1,254 approved stays abroad. Erasmus+ vocational training is thus sending a strong signal for future-oriented apprentice training.
Together with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB) the OeAD pursues the goal of increasing the number of training periods abroad of apprentices to 2,000 per year by 2027. The ‘5-point plan to increase apprentice mobility’ agreed in 2021 – together with the BMB, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET) and the Austrian Chamber of Commerce – includes higher Erasmus+ budgets, networking activities of relevant stakeholders, target group-oriented communication, etc.
 

‘Our apprentices are talented individuals with international potential. Erasmus+ opens up the world to them and at the same time strengthens Austria as a business location. Until 2027 we want to accompany 2,000 apprentices a year on their way abroad,’ emphasises the Minister of Education, Christoph Wiederkehr.

Are internships abroad a good way to make apprenticeships more attractive?
‘Absolutely,’ confirms the OeAD’s Managing Director Jakob Calice. ‘Young people not only acquire technical skills abroad but above all also social skills such as independence, personal responsibility and intercultural understanding. These skills are in high demand on the job market!’ 

Internships for apprentices in international companies not only increase the attractiveness but also the quality of dual training. For vocational schools and companies the Erasmus+ programme is a valuable addition to their educational offerings and creates additional incentives for young people to do an apprenticeship – a strong motivation to enter a skilled trade.
 

Oliver Szücs is a freight forwarding clerk apprentice at the Port of Vienna and will be doing an internship in Denmark at the Port of Aalborg this autumn. ‘I am really looking forward to my internship abroad. For me this is a unique opportunity to learn new ways of working and to become more independent. I already know that I will come back with lots of new knowledge and contacts – which will benefit me personally and my training company, Port of Vienna, too.’
 

Eva Brandt is currently training as a horticultural specialist at the Botanical Garden in Salzburg. She says about her internship in Italy: ‘I did a two-week internship in Italy and it was extremely beneficial: I gained new experience in plant care and returned feeling very motivated. Of course I now benefit from what I learned there.’
 

Sebastian Zöttl, who completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter and did a vocational internship in Spain, says: ‘It is great to get to know a country not as a tourist but as an employee of a company! You get to know the country and its people in a completely different way. Communicating in another language can be difficult at times but Google Translate helps.’ He is now attending a master craftsman class at the HTBLA Graz-Ortweinschule.
 

Participation in Erasmus+ also has a positive effect at the company level: companies say that returnees are more motivated and more confident. In the long term the companies benefit from fresh expertise and an image boost as a modern training company. Erasmus+ thus supports companies in positioning themselves as attractive employers and in proactively doing something against the shortage of skilled workers. Erasmus+ mobility activities are flexible (10 to 365 days), individually supported and recognised throughout Europe.

Countries:
Apprentices can do internships abroad in suitable companies in all EU countries as well as in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Serbia or Turkey. Since 2021 stays abroad with Erasmus+ have even been possible worldwide under certain conditions.

Support:
Getting started with the programme is easy: the OeAD supports companies and apprentices directly and free of charge. Travel, accommodation and organisational costs are financially supported by Erasmus+. Erasmus+ offers flat-rate subsidies for travel and accommodation costs – in June 2024 the subsidy rates for apprentices were increased by more than 50%.

Intermediary organisations in several federal provinces coordinate Erasmus+ projects approved by the OeAD. They support vocational schools and companies all over Austria in organising and carrying out Erasmus+ learning stays. They arrange contacts, handle the funding and organisationally accompany apprentices, teachers, skilled workers and trainers on stays abroad worldwide. These mobility projects are financed by the OeAD from Erasmus+ funds.
 

 #LehreohneGrenzen (Apprenticeships without Borders): www.oead.at/MagazinErasmusLehre as well as a folder specifically aimed at commercial enterprises: www.oead.at/ErasmusLehrlinge.
Web tip: erasmusplus.oead.at/de/berufsbildung/ueberblick
For further information about stays abroad for apprentices please contact: berufsbildung@oead.at
 

The OeAD recently published a magazine on this topic, #LehreohneGrenzen www.oead.at/MagazinErasmusLehre as well as a folder specifically aimed at commercial enterprises www.oead.at/ErasmusLehrlinge.
Web tip: https://erasmusplus.oead.at/de/berufsbildung/ueberblick
For further information about stays abroad for apprentices please contact: berufsbildung@oead.at

Picture Gallery: https://www.apa-fotoservice.at/galerie/39470