University College of Teacher Education Vienna
The University College of Teacher Education Vienna (Pädagogische Hochschule Wien) was founded in 2007 as part of a nationwide Austrian reform that merged a large number of teacher training academies (for primary, lower secondary, and vocational education) and pedagogical institutes (for continuing and further education of teachers in these areas) into 14 teacher education colleges. The PH Wien offers degree programmes for primary education (elementary school), secondary education (general education: middle schools and academic secondary schools), and vocational education. It also enables career changers to obtain a teaching degree, offers further and continuing education for early childhood educators, and provides various university courses. Particularly important are the university course in extracurricular pedagogy for full-day schooling and the university course for mentors in the areas of practical school studies in teacher training and for the so-called induction phase. In the North-East College Network, PH Wien cooperates with other teacher education colleges (University College of Teacher Education Vienna/Krems, University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria, College for Agricultural and Environmental Education). In secondary general education, PH Wien cooperates in the North-East development network with public universities (University of Vienna, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, University of Applied Arts Vienna, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna). Furthermore, other educational institutions, both national and international, are also important partners, offering opportunities for diverse exchanges.
Teacher Support and School Development
PH Wien accompanies teachers (including prospective headmasters or headmistresses) and educators from other professional fields throughout their entire professional careers, as well as schools in their site-specific development processes. PH Wien is the largest teacher education college in Austria. With the new university leadership starting in the academic year 2022/23, a comprehensive transformation process has led to the realignment of PH Wien. Schools in a metropolitan context are characterised by impressive diversity, which is often referred to as super-diversity (Vertovec 2023). As a result, PH Wien is predestined to use the necessary competencies to develop its profile accordingly. The population of Vienna, especially the younger generation, should be reflected in the University College itself: in its students and its staff.
PH Wien – A Post-Secondary Educational Institution
PH Wien is a post-secondary educational institution within the Austrian higher education and university sector. The organisational form of this public teacher education college is that of a directly subordinate office of the federal authority, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF). Teacher education colleges are publicly funded, and curricular matters (e.g., general structure) fall partly under the responsibility of the BMBWF. According to § 3 of the University Act (HG 2005 as amended), a public-law teacher education college has its legal personality in certain legally defined areas, allowing it to conclude legal transactions within this framework. A key steering instrument in the public sector is the Target and Performance Agreement, which is agreed upon every three years between the Federal Ministry and the teacher education colleges. The Teacher Education Colleges Development Plan (PH-EP) defines the positioning of the teacher education colleges within the Austrian higher education system and their quality-oriented development from 2021 to 2026.
The main legal bases for teacher education colleges are Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the Federal Constitutional Law (B-VG), Article 10, Paragraph 1 Z 6, 13, and Article 16 B-VG, the University Act 2005 (HG), and the associated regulations. Additionally, the federal budgetary regulations and civil service law for federal employees apply to teacher education colleges.
Website: https://phwien.ac.at/centre-for-internationalization/
