Secondary Agriculture and Forestry Colleges

Graphic Map of the agricultural schools in Austria
Photo: BML

The secondary agriculture and forestry schools offer diverse, future-oriented training opportunities throughout Austria. The offer ranges from the different areas of agriculture and forestry to food, biotechnology and digitisation as well as environmental and resource management.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management acts as school operator and thus has the key responsibility for the educational offer at the Secondary Agriculture and Forestry Colleges; the pedagogic sector cooperates closely with the Ministry of Education.

Currently about 3700 girls and boys attend the schools of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism. Every year around 700 young people complete their school education at a Federal Agriculture and Forestry College. The completion rate is 96 percent. The agricultural schools are regularly top performers in terms of the central school-leaving examination results.

Branches of studies

  1. Agriculture and Nutrition
  2. Agriculture
  3. Agricultural engineering
  4. Food and Biotechnology
  5. Gardening and Landscaping
  6. Horticulture
  7. Viticulture and Pomology
  8. Forestry
  9. Environmental and Resource Management

    as well as:
    Agriculture and Digitisation (presently training branch)

Educational contents

  • General education and personality formation
  • Foreign languages
  • Education in natural sciences
  • Specialist training
  • Corporate competence
  • Economic education

Regional specialisation

Thanks to the school-autonomous setting of priorities, regional specificities and new developments can be taken into account to be able to respond even more specifically to the needs of the labour market. This specialisation comes into effect from the third year onward.

Learning is fun

The focus is on the quality of teaching and learning. The professional and pedagogical competence of the teachers is guaranteed by targeted further education and training. Teachers apply most different didactic methods, pay attention to personal knowledge acquisition and encourage teamwork. Project- and practice-oriented teaching methods support independent and responsible action.

Teaching and research

At the schools in Schönbrunn, Klosterneuburg, Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Wieselburg and the HBLFA Tirol teaching and research have been combined to form competence centres. At some other schools there are cooperations with research institutions. This ensures the topicality and up-to-dateness of the training content. Pupils benefit from the latest scientific findings already during their school career. Within the framework of their diploma thesis, cooperation with the relevant research institutions or other partner companies is made possible.

Credits and entitlements

The Secondary Agriculture and Forestry Colleges are completed with the diploma and school-leaving examination, which is associated with the following entitlements and qualifications:

  • Access to all university and FH studies, the Universities for Teacher Training, the University for Agricultural and Environmental Teacher Training
  • Replacement of the skilled workers examination
  • Admission to the master of profession examination
  • Entitlement to various agricultural subsidies
  • Replacement of trade and commercial entrepreneurial exam
  • The title “Ingenieur” is awarded after 3 years of senior work in the relevant activity.
  • Authorisations in commercial professions depending on the branch
  • Reduction of the duration of the apprenticeship of another apprenticeship trade (agriculture and forestry or commercial) by at least one year. For certain combinations further parts of the training may be credited, depending on the match.
  • Classification of the secondary vocational schools within the EU as diploma training improves international mobility in the vocational choice.

Types of training

  • Five-years’ training for students who graduated from secondary modern school (Hauptschule),  new secondary modern school (Neue Mittelschule) or successfully passed lower secondary education
  • Three-years’ advanced training course for students who graduated from a vocational school for agriculture and forestry. This special type is presently offered in Raumberg, Wieselburg, Pitzelstätten, Bruck/Mur, Elmberg, Ursprung, and at the HBLFA Tirol.

Both types of training end with a school-leaving and diploma examination.

Boarding school

Boarding schools are available at all locations and enable also pupils with remote places of residence to receive a higher education. The school location thus becomes a centre of learning and living during the time of training. The social pedagogues who work in the boarding schools are trained for these requirements and see themselves as learning and life companions during this time. Numerous leisure activities are offered which promote the feeling of togetherness and the community at the school.

Internationality 

The schools have a strong European and international aspect. Through student exchange and stays abroad students acquire knowledge about other countries and develop an understanding for foreign cultures.

Practical experience in Austria and abroad

Ten schools have agricultural and forestry training companies attached to them, while the other two have cooperation contracts with training companies. Moreover, three mandatory internships have to be completed in which the theoretical knowledge is tested and implemented in practice. EU-funded mobility measures help a growing number of pupils to complete the practical training abroad in a foreign language country. The curricula of the agricultural and forestry schools provide for mandatory internships of altogether 18 and 22 weeks respectively.

Locations of educational institutes by branches of study

Agriculture and nutrition:

Agriculture:

Food technology and bio-engineering:

Agricultural engineering:

Agriculture and digitisation (branch of study)

Forestry:

Environment and resource management

Pomology and viticulture:

Horticulture / Garden and landscape design: