Austria – KADA

21 November 2018
Austria – KADA

Austria – KADA

Source Questionnaire on DCA of Smart sport – Erasmus plus funded project and KADA website www.kada.co.at

KADA -Austria: The Austrian “Career After Sports (KA:DA)” initiative developed by the Austrian Sports Aid Foundation in association with the national employment service offers sportsmen a professional career perspective post sports.

KADA mission

Elite sport happens at a time when, simultaneously, the groundwork is laid for a vocational career later on. Only very few athletes can rely solely on the proceeds from their sport to secure their livelihood once that career ends. Only one out of 50 Austrian athletes is financially secure after ending his or her career in sports.

KADA ensures that 50 out of 50 athletes have secure and fulfilling prospects for the future. KADA is thus not a safety net but an important partner for athletes. As such, we respect and pay attention to the diverse lives and experiences of our clients. By opening up individual ways and opportunities, we demonstrate that sports and education can form a unit – after all, personal development constitutes a perfect prerequisite for success in sports. By actively preparing for a post-sport career, athletes are better able to concentrate on the present, thus achieving even better results.

KADA assists elite athletes before, during, or after their elite sports career by providing professional consulting, a series of tailored educational programmes and an economic network (see below). 18 career counsellors operate nationwide and individually support the athletes in pursuing their very own dual pathway. In this regard, KADA does not only serve Olympic sports or a selection of sports. In fact, the organisation delivers to athletes from all the 61 recognized sports associations in Austria.

Service

The programme of KADA consists of two pillars of service: „career development“ and „employment service“.

Career development

The purpose of the career development service is to promote the combination between a successful elite sport career, the best possible vocational/higher education and holistic personal development.

KADA’s support starts by serving talent athletes (primarily from 15 years on) in competitive sports. KADA sensitizes and counsels young athletes and their surrounding networks in terms of dual career. To broadly reach talent athletes, their parents, sports coaches and sports associations the „KADA career planner“ gives digital information on all existing educational options specifically designed for elite athletes in Austria, from lower secondary school until higher education.

Furthermore, KADA collaborates with the Austrian elite schools of sport. Within the scope of these collaborations, KADA raises awareness of the topic of dual career and support the schools as an external partner in preventing early educational or sport drop out.

The KADAcademy was founded in 2012 to offer elite athletes a tailored blended learning training to access higher education. The KADAcademy is located in Vienna (to best serve athletes from summer sports), Salzburg (summer/winter sports) and Stams (winter sports).

Within KADA’s national study framework SLS, a big part of the career development service is dedicated to student athletes. On an individual level, KADA offers elite sport-specific student consulting. On an institutional level, KADA cooperates with numerous public and private Austrian universities to systematically increase academic flexibility.

Employment service

KADA’s employment service aims at integrating both elite athletes and former professional sports coaches into internships and fixed jobs. The way KADA gets access to job-seeking athletes and sport coaches is unique in Europe. Since 2006, the organisation cooperates with the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS). This is not only a loose cooperation. In fact, KADA is an officially recognized counselling centre of the AMS.

Sponsors and partners for cooperation

KADA acts as an autonomous puzzle piece connecting the Austrian sport, education and economy. The organisation is financed through the Ministry of Sports and the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS). The service for elite athletes is voluntary and free of charge. KADA sport partners for cooperation are the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC), the Austrian Sport Aid (ÖSH) and the Austrian Federal Network Sports Psychology (ÖBS). Furthermore, KADA works with the Austrian National Sports Organisation (BSO), the Military Sports Center of the Austrian Armed Forces (HSLZ), and numerous Austrian sports federations.

The international dimension of dual career

Today, efforts to increase the level of compatibility of elite sports participation with an adequate education is no longer a purely national responsibility. Rather, favorable conditions must also be created at an international level. KADA assumes a leading and special role in the dual career of athletes in Europe. KADA’s years of experience in this field allows the organisation to play an instrumental role in the Europeanisation process of dual career.

+43 (0) 662/25 41 69

Verein KADA

Alpenstraße 54/7b

A-5020 Salzburg

+43 662/25 41 69

[email protected]

www.kada.co.at

www.facebook.com/KADAsmp