Austria Caps Training Leave at €150M, Cuts Links to Parental Leave and Tightens Eligibility

Austria’s popular education-leave scheme has been scrapped. Starting today, workers can apply for its successor – “Weiterbildungszeit” – but face a far more restrictive system with a hard budget cap, stricter course requirements, and a new financial burden on employers.

The change most likely to catch families off guard: the direct transition from parental leave into paid training is no longer permitted. Anyone who wants to use Weiterbildungszeit after a childcare break must wait 26 weeks. The government insists the program is meant for genuine upskilling, not as a de facto extension of care time.

The annual funding pool is now limited to €150 million. That is a dramatic cut from the former “Bildungskarenz” scheme, which at its peak cost the state over €500 million a year. Instead of an automatic entitlement, approval depends on strict qualitative criteria. Only applicants who can prove the training will “sustainably improve” their employability will receive support.

Employers are being asked to share the cost for the first time. If a worker’s monthly gross salary exceeds €3,465, the company must cover 15 percent of the training allowance. The allowance itself is tiered: a minimum of €1,286 per month (€41.49 per day) and a maximum of €2,163.

To be eligible, employees must have worked for their current employer for at least 12 consecutive months. For those pursuing a master’s or diploma degree, four years of insured employment are required.

The training volume must be at least 20 hours per week or 20 ECTS credits. The grant can run for two to twelve months within a four-year window. An alternative part-time model stretches up to two years with a minimum of ten weekly study hours.

All applications are handled by the Public Employment Service (AMS). With a fixed budget and no legal claim, early birds may have a clear advantage.

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