Hebenstreit criticized the million-euro costs: "It is absolutely nonsensical and expensive to import untrained nursing staff from Vietnam to train them here, while many people in Austria are urgently waiting for training opportunities themselves." The ÖVP defended the project.
Care Assistance Course for Vietnamese in Lower Austria Criticized Care Assistance Course for Vietnamese in Lower Austria Criticized Care Assistance Course for Vietnamese in Lower Austria Criticized
11-02-2025, 16:54
On Tuesday, the chairman of the vida union, Roman Hebenstreit, and SPÖ state party leader, State Councilor Sven Hergovich, criticized the nursing assistant course for Vietnamese people in Lower Austria.
The costs for recruiting and training amount to 28,000 euros per person, according to the information. In total, 4.2 million euros were approved by the state government in 2022, according to the state. The money should be better invested in unemployed youth, re-entrants, or career changers, Hebenstreit suggested: "We need long-term investments in training and better working conditions for those who already live here. There are enough people who would be willing to work in nursing - if the conditions were finally right." Hebenstreit also criticized the FPÖ: They had broken their promise to reduce labor migration.
Hergovich: "Sustainably Improve Conditions"
"It is high time to sustainably improve the conditions for nursing in Lower Austria," demanded Hergovich in a statement. "Low wages, poor working hours, and too little staff deter many interested parties." The recruitment of nursing staff from Vietnam is not only expensive and complicated but also "a disregard for Austrian skilled workers," said the SPÖ state party chairman.
"All experts know that we will not be able to meet the demand for nursing and care staff in Austria alone, not even with European forces," stated VPNÖ social spokesperson, Member of Parliament Anton Erber, in a statement. Lower Austria "was, is, and will remain a pioneer in nursing and care issues," said Erber. "And if we recruit staff from abroad, then I prefer that established and recognized institutions train according to Austrian standards and the guidelines of the WHO or the International Council of Nurses."
Starting in March, 150 people from Vietnam will complete the nursing assistant training at the "International Nursing Center" of the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems in two cohorts after a German course in their home country. After an exam, they will receive a job at a location of the Lower Austrian State Health Agency. The first 41 trainees were welcomed in Krems on Monday.
(APA/Red)
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