“It cannot be that young asylum seekers living in Austria have to literally sit on the edge of their beds and wait until they grow up. All young people must have access to education and training beyond compulsory schooling,” demands the Director of Diakonie Austria, Maria Katharina Moser, on the occasion of this year’s World Refugee Day.

Young asylum seekers in Austria have extremely difficult access to education and training. This is because those who are over compulsory school age are not entitled to attend higher education.

“Successful completion of training should also lead to a residence title in the future,” Moser emphasises in their statement. “No one understands that Austria is feverishly trying to recruit skilled workers from abroad while at the same time deporting those in whose training Austrian companies have invested.

This is not only contrary to human reason, but also to any economic logic. After all, Austria has an economic interest in young skilled workers being able to use the skills they have acquired.

The full statement of Diakonie Austria can be found on their website here.