Special Program for Apprentices

The special apprenticeship program supports trainees residing in Vienna by fully funding preparatory courses for the final apprenticeship examination. During the funding period from January 1 to December 31, 2025, the Vienna Employees’ Promotion Fund (waff) covers 100% of the market-standard course fees. Eligible applicants are private individuals with their main residence in Vienna whose apprenticeship period ends within twelve months or whose apprenticeship completion was no more than 36 months ago. The objective is to optimally prepare participants for the final examination through targeted preparation, thereby increasing the success rate. The funding is explicitly aimed at apprentices not enrolled in inter-company apprenticeship training, as well as those already attending courses recognized Europe-wide. Applications can be submitted up until the course completion date, ensuring maximum flexibility in scheduling.

In addition to having a main residence in Vienna, participation in the waff qualification management is a prerequisite for receiving the grant. Only course fees are funded; these are settled directly with the course providers. For complete application processing, among other documents, a registration confirmation, the invoice from the course provider (issued to the applicant), a participation certificate from the provider, and a signed and completed application for pre-financing must be submitted. Applications are made informally to waff before the course ends. Thanks to the straightforward pre-financing, apprentices bear no financial risk, allowing them to fully concentrate on exam preparation.