Austria and Staff developement

The following information was gathered in 2008, for more up to date information on this case study, please check the national website

Austria has launched a comprehensive quality management system which is at present focused on initial vocational education and training (IVET). This quality initiative – QualitätsInitiative BerufsBildung (QIBB) – covers teaching and learning and administrative processes in every type of school and at every institutional level in the VET school system.

Introduced in 2004, the QIBB system has been supported by quality assurance training for staff at all institutional levels. This support includes training for staff to acquire a wide range of specific skills and qualifications (e.g. to run the quality assurance circle; management by objectives; to moderate the management and performance review or to line up the agreement on objectives (see case study internal self-evaluation on a voluntary basis); human resources development; to outline a strategy and to plan for continuous professional training; to work with the QIBB internet evaluation platform; to collect, to process, to analyse and interpret data; change management etc.) It allows participants to acquire and consolidate the competences they need to perform all the tasks related to the management of quality assurance.

For more information on the Austrian VET quality initiative QIBB, please go to www.qibb.at. Information about quality assurance in VET in Austria can be found on the website of ARQA-VET, the National Quality Assurance Reference Point.