Overview: Qualification Initiative

Networking research and science

Within the framework of funded projects, we support companies in upgrading the qualifications of their employees. In doing so, we draw on the entire range of topics of applied research and expertise of Graz University of Technology in order to identify needs together with corporate partners and to develop scientifically sound, application-oriented and customized programs. In this way, very concrete subject-specific courses and training courses are created, which convey current know-how and help to close competency gaps.

In addition, we work with other educational institutions to devise and develop packages of measures and centers of excellence that promote and create sustainable education and training programs at regional, national and EU-wide level.

Electronic Based Systems (EBS) are components, devices and systems with micro- and nanoelectronics as well as the associated embedded software. The ongoing upswing in the field of digitalization opens up excellent business opportunities for Austrian companies, which already have a competitive edge in individual areas of EBS. The Inno-EBS qualification program is set up in a complementary way to existing Austrian initiatives, partly by using existing networks of the Styrian, Carinthian and Upper Austrian partners and by assembling an attractive consortium of 5 scientific and 15 corporate partners along the EBS value chain. All corporate partners face the challenge of finding suitable skilled workers with EBS know-how on the labor market. Inno-EBS closes a gap in the offer on the market and focuses on the mediation of state-of-the-art cross-sectional competences in hardware, embedded software and systems.

GREENOVET is an international project with 18 project partners from 4 European countries, co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.

One of the project's objectives is to promote the development of Vocational Education and Training (VET) competencies to enable green innovation across Europe. To this end, Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) will be established that focus on an innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy.

The first center in Austria to emerge from the Greenovet project was established in 2022 at Graz University of Technology under the name Green Tech Academy Austria (GRETA).

Digitization, the smart factory and cyber security are core topics of the company's training needs. Training programs in these areas are available, but most of them are very specialized, isolated and far removed from the important social and network-based dimensions for a successful transformation. The qualification needs of the companies participating in this consortium have therefore been specified into 7 core topics in accordance with previous surveys. The qualification profiles developed are those of a generalist, a specialist and a universalist.

The EU's Green Deal, with its goal of climate neutrality, also places an obligation on companies. In order to be able to perceive the associated "change" challenges as opportunities in the direction of competitive advantage, the innovative strength of employees and their technological know-how in this area is in great demand.

As part of the DeCarb project (Empowering enterprises towards zero carbon - from science to action), the need for holistic, implementation-oriented training is being addressed and company representatives are being given higher qualifications in the areas of "Energy & Green Production", "Sustainable Buildings", "Corporate Mobility" and "Sustainability and Change Management".

"Reboot BUILD UP Skills" ties in with the national processes of the "BUILD UP Skills" initiative (2011-2013) in terms of content and pursues the goal of revising these against the backdrop of the European and national energy and climate targets in the building sector for 2030. In this context, all future necessary competencies in the relevant education and training from "blue collar" to "white collar" professionals should be considered. In cooperation with the most important Austrian steakholders, a current status quo analysis and a national qualification roadmap until 2030 will be developed within the framework of a revitalized qualification platform adjusted to the new requirements.

The Des4SusMan project aims to develop a 2-year joint master's degree program on the topic of "Digital and Sustainable Manufacturing" to train students in the fields of mechanical engineering, manufacturing and management and also to provide them with intercultural skills. Graduates of the master's program should be able to master the major challenges facing the EU. These include, in particular, the megatrends of digitalization in manufacturing companies as well as the social/ethical and climatic/ecological challenges of sustainability, which play or will play a central role in current and future EU policy. Both the theme and the dual-track structure are new to the European Higher Education Area and will support the EU's move towards a smart and sustainable future-oriented curriculum.

The future major challenge for SMEs will be the implementation of the double transformation (digital and sustainable). This needs to be accelerated to improve economically, socially and environmentally sustainable processes, factories and value chains. SME5.0 helps SMEs get to this next level by developing a strategic roadmap that makes them not only smart, but also sustainable, resilient and people-centric. This next stage of SME will be data- and intelligence-driven, meaning it will use available data to gain new insights and optimize them in a safe way using artificial intelligence. There will also be a strong focus on how production and value chains in SMEs can become more circular, environmentally friendly and resilient by taking into account ethical, human and societal values for more sociocentric factories. In addition to identifying future work profiles and competencies of SME employees, guidelines are being developed to make SME workplaces in industry more inclusive and diverse.