Academy fortheatre craft

Why do we need an academy?

The search for skilled labour is becoming increasingly difficult. With around 2,500 employees, the Austrian Federal Theatres are one of the largest training companies in Austria and have very specific requirements that often cannot be met by the market.

The individual Group companies are currently training the following specialists:

• Carpenter:in
• Upholsterer and decorator
• Metal technician:in
• Event technician:in
• Make-up artist:in
• Electrical engineer
• Men's tailors:in
• White sewing:in
• Office clerk:man
• Possibly further apprenticeships from 2026/2027

What advantages does the Academy offer apprentices and the Austrian Federal Theatre?

• Holistic understanding of theatre
• Uniform training standards regardless of trade and vocational school
• Creation of new networks across trades
• Modern and digital learning

How does the Academy work?

Austria has a dual system (vocational school & workshop) for apprenticeship training. We are expanding this dual system to include a third pillar - the academy.

This includes the following offers:

• Theatre-specific further training (e.g. theatre history, stylistics, theatre English)
• Specialised further training (e.g. specialist courses in make-up artistry, CAD software for cabinetmaking, costume history)
• Company-specific further training (e.g. sustainability at the federal theatres, data protection)
• Extended professional competence (2 weeks per year change to another trade in order to also acquire knowledge there - e.g. carpenters go to upholsterers)

Where is the Academy located?

The Academy for Theatre Crafts is located directly in the ART for ART decoration workshops in the Arsenal. The modern, loft-like premises offer space for a total of 40 apprentices with 15 computer workstations, a modular setting for lectures, group work, etc. as well as recreational areas. With its colourfulness and lightness, the interior provides the perfect setting to encourage the creativity and creative drive of our apprentices.

All information on the individual apprenticeships and training programmes can be found at lehre.bundestheater.at