Ö-Cert quality framework
The Ö-Cert quality framework for adult education and training organisations was created by the federal states and the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research and came into force in 2012. The legal basis is the agreement pursuant to Article 15a of the Federal Constitutional Law (B-VG) between the federal government and the federal states on the recognition of the Ö-Cert quality framework for adult education (Federal Law Gazette No. 269/2012). This innovative process, which recognises different quality certificates and checks specific basic requirements, has created uniform quality standards for education providers throughout Austria for the first time. Ö-Cert acts as a role model across Europe and contributes to the further professionalisation of adult education.
Aims of Ö-Cert
- The Ö-Cert basic requirements ensure that the core task of the organisation is adult education and training, that the provider has a quality management system/process and that at least one person has received appropriate training or education in the area of teaching/educational management. These uniform, Austria-wide quality criteria serve to raise the profile of adult education providers in today’s vast continuing education and training market. The award of Ö-Cert is intended to guarantee a high-quality provider structure.
- Ö-Cert creates transparency and simplifies administration. Because Ö-Cert is recognised throughout Austria by the federal states and the federal government, there is no need for multiple certifications of adult education providers in the individual states. People interested in furthering their education have equal opportunities to access funding for their continuing education, even if it does not take place in their own federal state. The Ö-Cert ‘brand’ benefits not only these people but also funding agencies, as it is possible to see at a glance which organisation is an Ö-Cert quality provider. The current list of Ö-Cert quality providers can be found at oe-cert.at/qualitaetsanbieter/ (in German only).