On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), in cooperation with Lugner City in Vienna, hosted a career platform for Ukrainian displaced persons, refugees, and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. Partner organizations such as the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the Vienna Local Railways, KFC Austria, the Vienna Social Fund (FSW), Hilfswerk, Markas, and the staffing agency Teampool informed participants about the diverse job opportunities within these companies and about entry-level positions at Lugner City for individuals with limited German language skills. Initial job interviews were conducted on-site. More than 300 refugees, displaced persons, and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection from ÖIF German language courses had the opportunity to directly contact the companies and apply for open positions.
Sonja Ziganek, Head of Integration Programs at the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF): “Finding work and learning German go hand in hand. The career platforms give job-seeking immigrants with limited German skills the opportunity to contact companies directly and easily, and to find out about suitable entry-level opportunities on site.”
Entry opportunities into the job market: Over 200 career platforms nationwide to date.
The career platforms organized by the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) throughout Austria bring together companies and job-seeking participants from ÖIF German language courses. Companies looking for employees can present their job opportunities directly to potential applicants on these platforms. Participants can speak with potential employers and recruiters and apply for open positions on-site. To date, more than 200 career platforms have been held nationwide in cooperation with companies such as REWE, Austrian Post, Lidl, and Ikea. More information is available at www.karriereplattform.at .
A wide range of German learning opportunities promotes language acquisition alongside work
With a comprehensive range of options for learning German alongside employment, the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) offers refugees, displaced persons, and those granted subsidiary protection the opportunity to continuously improve their German language skills while working or fulfilling caregiving responsibilities. This includes traditional ÖIF German courses offered by course providers during off-peak hours and on weekends, as well as online German courses. In addition, the ÖIF language portal offers more than 70 free live online German courses per week, which are freely accessible regardless of residency status. Furthermore, Austria's largest freely accessible online German learning platform offers job-specific online German courses, enabling learners to expand and deepen their language skills for various sectors – such as gastronomy, hospitality and tourism, food retail, or caregiving. More information is available at www.sprachportal.at .