Vienna youth fair brings 100 exhibitors and hands-on career activities

A Vienna careers and education fair featuring about 100 exhibitors is running Wednesday and Thursday at Marx-Halle, with hands-on activities to help young people explore their options, ORF reports.

The Wiener Jugend fair is being held at the venue under a new name and with a new concept for the first time this year. Alongside apprenticeships, it focuses on further education, careers and young people’s interests. It is aimed at students aged 13 and over, as well as school groups. Admission is free, but the organizers recommend booking a time slot online in advance. Groups must register.

Visitors can try activities linked to different professions. At the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) stand, young people can operate a train simulator and use a virtual reality headset to change railway signal lights. Schönbrunn Zoo is displaying insects that visitors can handle.

The fair also offers sports activities, including padded-sword fights at the ASVÖ Wien stand. Participants try to score as many valid hits as possible on a training dummy in under a minute. Sport stacking, a dexterity game and giant darts are also on offer. At the Szihn bakery stand, visitors can shape baked goods.

Exhibitors include companies such as Siemens, OMV, ASFINAG and DHL, as well as retailers and financial institutions including REWE, XXXLutz, Bank Austria and Generali. Police, the armed forces, the justice system and the Vienna Health Association are presenting training and job opportunities in public service.

Universities and other higher-education institutions, including BOKU, the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, IMC Krems, USTP in St. Pölten and Sigmund Freud Private University, will offer advice to those planning to continue their studies. Caritas, Wienxtra and the Voluntary Social Year will provide information on social engagement. Visitors can also find out about Erasmus+, exchange programmes and volunteer placements from organisations including OeAD, AFS and YFU.

A social media competition called Young Creators is running alongside the fair for people aged 16 to 25. Participants are invited to use videos, photos and stories to show what Wiener Jugend means from their perspective. A jury will assess the entries, with prize money of up to 2,500 euros available.

The fair runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on October 14 and 15 at Marx-Halle in Vienna.