Persisting Teacher Shortage in Vorarlberg Stays a Preeminent Concern for School Initiatives

Barbara Schöbi-Fink, the Education Councilor in Vorarlberg, has announced plans to bring up the issue of enhancing conditions for school management at the upcoming conference of education ministers in October. This announcement comes as the region prepares for a new school year, with 56,029 students and 7,047 educators set to return on Monday.

One of the key areas of focus for the upcoming school year will be addressing the ongoing teacher shortage, particularly in German, MINT subjects, and vocational subjects within the secondary sector. To tackle this issue, efforts to fill vacancies will not be relaxed, according to Schöbi-Fink. The region expects to fill the remaining six vacancies at compulsory schools and ten at federal schools by the start of the school year.

The improvement in staffing can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the recently implemented package of measures by the state, the reform of teacher training, and the influx of lateral entrants. In fact, 162 of the 335 new teachers in Vorarlberg this year are from teacher training programs, while 62 are lateral entrants.

In addition to addressing the teacher shortage, Schöbi-Fink has ordered a more in-depth analysis of the resource situation in Vorarlberg schools. This analysis will aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of resources and identify areas for potential improvement.

The focus in the 2025/26 school year will continue to be on reading competence, a priority that was established in previous years. To support this focus, a total of 57 German support classes are planned for the upcoming school year.

Another area of focus for the coming school year will be dealing with AI and the issue of safety and violence at schools. To address these challenges, measures such as team teaching, providing language support staff, and assistance personnel, as well as recognising children's first languages in education, have been put in place. Additionally, collaboration with integration services offers informational and German language courses for professionals to alleviate the shortage.

For 5,576 children and 335 teachers, it will be their first year in Vorarlberg schools. The same number of hours for school assistants will be available this year as last year, a total of around 5,800. Redistribution aims to allocate hours to locations with the greatest need for support.

However, despite these improvements, Schöbi-Fink acknowledges that the teacher shortage will persist in Vorarlberg. Improved conditions and remuneration are needed for school management to continue attracting enough people willing to take on a director's position.

In 2022, the Vorarlberg government addressed teacher shortages by implementing the aforementioned measures, as well as recognising children's first languages in education to create structured support systems at schools. These efforts are part of a broader commitment to ensuring the best possible education for all students in Vorarlberg.

Persisting Teacher Shortage in Vorarlberg Stays a Preeminent Concern for School Initiatives