“Crafts and technology” and “technical education” in Austria

In Austria, the syllabus for “Technisches Werken/Crafts and Technology” for all types of school in general education was issued more than 30 years ago. The authors believed that it might lay the foundations for technical literacy. The paper is about how the situation of the subject and, with it, technical education has developed since then in Austria. After a brief account of the origin and further development of the carrier subject “Technische Erziehung”/Technical Education various aspects of the present situation of “Technisches Werken/Crafts and Technology” from early years education up to general education are highlighted: the structure and contents of the subject between architecture, design and technology; its significance and the chances of the subject in Austrian schools; the training of the subject teachers. This is followed by the interpretation of a survey of the understanding Austrian pupils have of technology and gender, which was carried out within the framework of the UPDATE-project. The central issues of this study are concerned with pupils’ general awareness of the most important school subjects in primary and secondary schools, specifically of the subject “Crafts and Technology” and of the connection between “Crafts and Technology”, technology and technical occupations.