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Founded as an association in 1995, IFA (short for Internationaler Fachkräfteaustausch, International Young Workers Exchange) provides service to support the mobility of apprentices and skilled workers. Its members are the Economic Chambers in Austria, the Federation of Austrian Industry, the Junior Chamber Austria and the Young Industrialists.

IFA is the leading organisation when it comes to international work experience. As the central information and consulting centre for young people, companies and vocational education and training (VET) providers, IFA organises work placements, applies for them, awards the necessary grants and ensures the recognition of competences acquired abroad. It focuses on supporting non-university graduates and organises foreign work placements for more than 400 apprentices, students of VET schools, employees and trainers a year.

Our tasks

• We organise work placements for apprentices.
• We help interested individuals plan their work placements.
• We support companies and VET schools in establishing and carrying out work placement programmes.
• We support young people and adults from other EU countries who do a work placement in Austria.
• We are the information point for the Europass Mobility in Austria.
• We support the continuous vocational education and training of gifted and committed apprentices as well as skilled workers (grants awarded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour and the Economic Chambers).

Every year 2,000 young people, 150 companies, schools and other VET providers use IFA’s services and know-how.

Why are work placements important?

Companies expect their employees to be mobile, flexible and internationally experienced. Work placements are the best way to gather linguistic, vocational and intercultural competences. Trust in IFA – your partner in mobility!