New 'Digital Everywhere Plus' Workshops Launch to Enhance Digital Skills Across Austria

Austria is set to embark on a significant enhancement of its digital skillset with the introduction of the 'Digital Everywhere Plus' workshops, starting tomorrow. This initiative is part of the country's broader 'Digital Competence Offensive' aimed at systematically improving digital literacy among its citizens.

Building on the foundation laid by the previous 'Digital Everywhere' workshops, which offered basic digital knowledge through 6,000 sessions, the new program will introduce 1,000 additional workshops focusing on advanced digital skills. These workshops are designed to expand the digital competencies of the Austrian population, ensuring that a wider range of individuals can effectively engage with digital technologies.

Alexander Pröll, the State Secretary for Digitalization, emphasized the importance of digital skills, stating that they are crucial for making life easier and boosting economic success. He noted that the most advanced technological solutions are ineffective if individuals lack the ability to use them. The 'Digital Everywhere Plus' initiative aims to embed digital skills education throughout the community, making it accessible and relevant to everyday life.

The new governmental program outlines a comprehensive approach to enhancing digital competencies across various sectors, including early childhood education, women's empowerment, and adult education. The 'Digital Everywhere Plus' initiative signifies a new chapter in this endeavor, aligning with the objectives of the Digital Decade and leveraging the successes of the existing 'Digital Everywhere' program.

Key components of the 'Digital Everywhere Plus' initiative include:

• Integration of digital skills training throughout Austria, supported by various educational stakeholders.
• A total of 1,000 modular workshops focusing on topics such as digital education for seniors, navigating digital bureaucracy safely, adapting to increasing digitalization and AI, and creating digital content and products.
• Workshops conducted by 60 adult education providers, making them readily available for individual or group bookings by municipalities.
• A 'Train-the-Trainer' program aimed at equipping adult education providers with the necessary tools to facilitate effective digital learning.
• Innovative teaching methods that encourage intergenerational learning and an array of online resources to scale up digital skills education.

All educational offerings are designed in accordance with the Digital Competence Framework, ensuring that they are relevant and effective in promoting digital literacy.

As part of the 'Digital Competence Offensive,' various stakeholders, including government bodies, local authorities, and industry representatives, are collaborating to achieve the ambitious goal of having 80% of the population equipped with fundamental digital skills by 2030. Currently, this figure stands at 64.7%. Moreover, there is a targeted increase in the proportion of IT professionals, particularly women, from 5.4% to 10% of the overall workforce.

Austria's efforts in digital competence enhancement have already yielded positive results, moving the country up to eighth place in the EU rankings for digital skills. Inspired by Austria's success, a similar Digital Competence Offensive is being proposed in Germany, indicating a growing recognition of the importance of digital literacy across borders.