08. 02. 10. - 16:00

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08. 02. 10. - 16:00

Vorarlberg to create 125 apprenticeships

People’s Party (ÖVP) Governor Herbert Sausgruber announced today (Mon) an additional 125 apprenticeships in the province.

He said they would "open more chances and perspectives for young people."

He added the provincial administration would add 20 to its current 37, provincial agencies would add 11 to the current 168, training centres would add 25 to the current 125, provincial businesses would add 69 and agriculture would add 10 apprenticeships.

Provincial ÖVP economic councillor Karlheinz Rüdisser said all young people who had been looking for a job for at least three months would be offered one or training for one.

He said 299 young people had been looking for apprenticeships in the province at the end of last month, when only 148 had been on offer. He said the number on offer by summer would be 297 - 39 per cent more than a year earlier.

The provincial legislature had approved the expenditure of 231,000 Euros for creation of an additional 33 apprenticeships last December.

Meanwhile, tourism industry union bosses have warned of a worsening situation for trainees as the number of people in the sector without a job had soared last year.

Rudolf Kaske, head of tourism workers’ union vida, claimed last week that many bars, restaurants and hotels in top tourism destinations "exploited" the three-month trial period for trainees to manage the situation in peak season.

Kaske claimed some companies would, for example, keep tips given to trainees until the end of their trial period and only pay out the full amount if they worked through the entire peak season.

The vida head also warned people working in the tourism industry of signing "all-in contracts" that often mean employees must work ten or more hours per day without any overtime pay.

"Hands off from such contracts. Those who work under all-in contracts often earn less than the industry’s minimum wage," he said.

Kaske said vida would liaise with the Economy Chamber (WKO) to stop a trend seen in all sectors of shrinking trainee numbers.

His comments came as tourism chiefs said there had been a year on year rise in unemployment for people working in the industry in 2009, with 32,569 people without a job or 3,804 more than in the previous year.

Austrian Times

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