Women Building the Future: Austria’s Award-Winning Initiative Supporting Fe-male Entry into Technical Careers

In many industrial regions across Europe, the image of a woman repairing machinery, assembling components or programming manufacturing systems is still far from the norm. Technical and craft professions remain largely male-dominated, even though these sectors offer some of the most stable, future-oriented and well-paid jobs. However, as digitalisation and industrial transformation accelerate, these fields urgently require new talent and fresh perspectives. Encouraging women to enter such occupations is therefore not just a matter of equality; it is also a key strategy for strengthening regional economies and supporting long-term resilience.

Austria has taken a strong step in this direction. The training provider update Training GmbH, a member of the ÖSB Gruppe, has been honoured by the Public Employment Service Vienna (AMS Wien) for its programme “BBE FiT for Apprenticeship Promotion”. The award recognises the programme as the “Most Successful BBE 2024 (Overall Labour-Market Impact)”, underlining its exceptional contribution to guiding women into technical apprenticeships and helping them secure sustainable futures in sectors where they are still underrepresented.

For readers from outside Austria, it may be helpful to understand the national system behind this recognition. AMS, the Austrian Public Employment Service, plays a central role in the country’s labour-market governance and works similarly to the employment services found across Central and Eastern Europe. In Vienna, AMS commissions external organisations to deliver specialised training and counselling programmes for jobseekers. These programmes are known as BBEs — “Beratungs- und Betreuungseinrichtungen”, or “Counselling and Support Facilities”. Through this structure, jobseekers receive tailored guidance designed to overcome practical, social or educational barriers to employment.

It is within this framework that update Training developed the award-winning BBE FiT programme, aimed at women aged 21 and above who are interested in starting a technical or craft apprenticeship. The programme follows a personalised and strongly practice-oriented approach. Participants begin with thorough counselling and skills assessment, helping them identify which technical profession best suits their strengths. They then join an intensive preparation phase, where they learn how to navigate application procedures, succeed in interviews and entrance tests, and build the digital skills increasingly required in modern workplaces. What distinguishes the programme further is the close collaboration with companies, offering women tangible opportunities to enter apprenticeships and receive continued support as they transition into working life. This combination of individual guidance, hands-on preparation and direct employer cooperation has produced impressive results, which ultimately led AMS Wien to select the programme for its 2024 award.

The success of update Training’s approach provides an inspiring example of how targeted support for underrepresented groups can contribute to broader regional transformation efforts. Industrial towns and regions across the Danube area face similar challenges: demographic change, technological transformation, shortages of skilled workers and persistent gender imbalances in certain professions. Programmes like BBE FiT demonstrate that meaningful progress can be achieved when labour-market support is tailored to the needs of individuals, when partnerships with companies are actively cultivated, and when women are encouraged and supported to enter career paths that have traditionally been closed to them. In this sense, the award reflects not only the work of a single programme but also the potential for transfer and inspiration across Europe.

By recognising update Training’s efforts, AMS Wien has affirmed the importance of innovative labour-market services that open doors for women in technical fields. And by showcasing this achievement within a European cooperation framework such as the Danube Region Programme, it becomes part of a wider conversation about how industrial regions can build inclusive, resilient and future-oriented labour markets. The experience of update Training and the ÖSB Gruppe shows that when women are given real opportunities to participate in technical professions, the benefits extend to entire communities, strengthening both economic vitality and social cohesion.