• Corona crisis has massively accelerated digital learning
• Home office and digital meetings have become the new normal Willingness for further training, but incentives are necessary.
• Lifelong learning is indispensable in order to remain employable and to have professional success: This insight is now almost undisputed among the population.

However, the CVET project is not always consistently implemented and there is a clear educational gap.

Despite Corona, there is a lack of skilled workers

“It is positive that in-service training is so important to people, but there is still a clear discrepancy between general willingness and actual implementation. So it takes convincing arguments and good incentives for the Austrians ”, says Mariana Kühnel, General Secretary of the WKÖ.  

“Today it has become quite normal for people to change their job and even their professional field several times in their working life. Basic training is therefore no longer enough, CVET is required”, emphasizes Markus Raml, coordinator of WIFI Austria:" This is the only way education creates prosperity, also for companies that maintain their competitiveness".

The innovation cycles are getting shorter and shorter. Learning becomes a decisive competitive factor. “Regardless of whether it is about the introduction of new software, stronger virtual customer orientation or a higher level of innovation: In order to be successful as entrepreneurs in the volatile environment of our day, we and our employees have to react agilely to developments. But this requires people who can keep up with the rapid pace of innovation, ”says Raml.

Corona brought an impulse for digital learning

According to the survey, 59% of the employed people surveyed stated that they would use digital content and digital training. Moreover, the use is greater among the more highly educated workers. The respondents see clear advantages of online learning in the fact that there is no need to travel there and there is no risk of infection with Covid-19.

“Digital or face-to-face learning is not a contradiction in professional development, they can complement each other. The crisis shows us that both work extremely well in combination, ”explains Tatjana Baborek, director of the WIFI Austria. The study makes it clear that digital learning platforms cannot replace face-to-face learning: On average, those in employment want 40% online learning and 60% face-to-face learning.

In 2020, learning cannot work without online content. It is now important to combine the best of both worlds in a meaningful way for people and to respond more to the individual needs of the learners.

Create more incentives for further training

This “boost” from the Corona crisis must be used and promoted: “The economy needs people who learn independently, can develop solutions independently. In-service adult education is therefore central.