Funding of expenses for vocational school dormitories

Since January 1, 2018, the federal government has fully reimbursed the accommodation and catering costs of apprentices in vocational school dormitories in accordance with § 9 para. 5 of the Vocational Training Act. The aim of the funding is to support high-quality dual training and the sustainable integration of young people into the labor market. The benefits are granted as a direct subsidy without a budget cap and apply nationwide in Austria to all eligible training companies and – with the consent of the training authorizer – also to apprentices who have borne costs themselves from 2018 onwards. Applications are free of charge and can be submitted at any time but must be received no later than three years after the end of the dormitory stay. Transparent processing reduces financial burdens and increases training opportunities.

Eligible for funding are companies as well as private individuals in the sense of the training authorizers according to § 2 BAG (territorial authorities are excluded). A valid training contract on the first day of the dormitory stay and proof of actually incurred expenses by means of invoices and payment receipts are required. Costs already subsidized by other grants according to § 19c BAG remain excluded. The funding rate amounts to 100% of the documented net expenses (or gross expenses if input tax deduction is not applicable). For the application, a completed application form, invoice receipts from the dormitory or accommodation provider, as well as proof of the training contract and, if applicable, input tax deduction, are required. In this way, the funding initiative makes a significant contribution to keeping training costs calculable and sustainably securing the skilled labor supply in Austria.