After the Anschluss, a policy of forced emigration was imposed on the Jews of Austria. Simultaneously, many Jews sought to leave the country. In light of the fact that many Jews made a living in trade, clerical work and the legal profession, the Jewish community decided to open vocational training centers where those hoping to emigrate could acquire new skills that would serve them wherever they chose to go.
During 1938 some 1,600 courses opened in approximately 100 different fields and professions, attended by some 24,000 people, mainly adults. The vocational training albums document the students who attended these courses and the end results of their work.
The three albums preserved at Yad Vashem are part of the private collection of Joseph Lowenherz (1884-1946), head of the Vienna Jewish community from 1936 until the city's liberation by the Red Army.
