Who is eligible for a grant?

Vienna-based enterprises which want to provide continuing education and training in the fields of intercultural communication and conflict resolution skills to their workers. 

The persons eligible for grants have to have an employment contract subject to full mandatory social security contributions or a near-employment contract (marginal part-timers, quasi-freelancers insured under the General Social Insurance Act). Furthermore, persons on parental leave, educational leave or family hospice leave as well as apprentices are also eligible. 

What is the grant for?

The waff provides grants to contribute towards the costs of vocational qualifications in the following fields for workers employed in Vienna:  

Communication, action and conflict resolution skills in dealing with people from other cultures and civilisations;

this includes

• intercultural communication skills (e.g. language courses)
• intercultural management and conflict management
• leadership and motivation in an intercultural context  

 Prerequisites for the grant:

The continuing education and training courses have to start and end in the period during which the grant is paid. (The maximum period for which the grant is available is 18 months.)

The grant is subject to the competition rules of the EU (de-minimis rule).

What is the grant amount?

50% of education-related costs for vocational qualification courses carried out by external educational institutions, the maximum amount per enterprise being € 10,000.-.
The costs of continuing education and training have to amount to a minimum of
€ 1,000.- per application (grant amount per application: a minimum of
€ 500.-).

Last date for submission:

The period for submitting the applications including all the necessary attachments ends with the first calendar quarter in each case (31.3., 30.6., 30.9., 31.12.). Applications received after this can only be considered in the next calendar quarter.

The applications that are received will be subjected to an evaluation procedure. You will receive information about the decision in due course, in writing.

How to apply:

The commitment form signed with legally binding effect and the completed application form  (including project specification sheet) as well as the documentation required have to be filed with the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund (waff), Unternehmensförderungen (Support to Enterprises) at Nordbahnstrasse 36/3/4^th floor, room 26, 1020 Vienna, marked “Personnel development - intercultural skills”. Commitment form, application form and guideline are available for download here or can be ordered from the waff by phone – see info box on the left).

Important: The application must be filed before the continuing education or training measures start.

The application documents are subject to assessment. You will be informed of the outcome in writing.