WKÖ and FHK present the results of the EU project "learn to work", which confirm the important role of universities of applied sciences for the domestic economy.

"The economy is desperately looking for academic specialists, especially in the fields of technology, life sciences and engineering, but also academics in general with the relevant qualifications that are needed in the age of digitalisation. Students who do not start their studies today will not be available on the labour market in three years' time. However, universities of applied sciences have to turn away 50,000 applicants every year. Not due to a lack of performance, but because there are too few study places," said Kurt Koleznik, Secretary General of the FHK at today's press conference, at which the results of the EU "learn to work" project were presented.

"In times of a shortage of skilled labour, internships are a key element in retaining talent in companies at an early stage. Technological change and digitalisation are responsible for the fact that job profiles and requirements on the job market are changing very quickly. We therefore want to improve the docking of UAS students to SMEs and promote the exchange of knowledge and practice. We therefore see the Learn to Work project as a good element in terms of professional practice and knowledge acquisition. This is because it strengthens the innovative and future viability of our location," emphasised Mariana Kühnel, Deputy Secretary General of the WKÖ, today, Friday. According to Kühnel, there is still a shortage of more than 160,000 skilled workers in Austria, with one in six jobs in the STEM sector remaining unfilled.

This makes it all the more important from a business perspective to establish contact between future skilled workers and companies as early as possible. As this is usually easier for large companies than small and medium-sized enterprises, it is important to increase efforts here and, above all, to motivate companies to actively search for trainees. This applies above all to the employer branding of SMEs: "Many of them are hidden champions and innovators in their field and must also communicate this to the outside world," said Kühnel, pointing out that both universities of applied sciences and companies benefit from the close integration of training and research with operational practice.

The focus of "learn to work" is the work placement, which is an integral part of the degree programme at universities of applied sciences and is completed by around 40,000 students every year. Larger European companies have recognised the added value of university interns. SMEs, and in particular small companies with up to 49 employees and one-person companies, make even less use of this opportunity. The effort involved is too great and the internships are too short anyway, which means they are not worthwhile for the companies.
From the point of view of Austrian universities of applied sciences, which have been closely interlinked with the economy and, above all, regionally based SMEs since their foundation, it was clear that these and similar prejudices had to be overcome. The EU project "learntowork.eu" (https://learntowork.eu/) aims to do just that and wants to bring SMEs, universities of applied sciences and students closer together. The Austrian University of Applied Sciences Conference (FHK), which represents the interests of all Austrian universities of applied sciences, is involved in the project alongside other European university organisations. It is supported by the WKÖ and the regional economic chamber organisations.
This is because it has been shown that hiring interns represents added value for all companies. They promote employability and profitability and contribute to the positive image of the company.

"The work placement is one aspect in which the close links between universities of applied sciences and business are realised. By completing a work placement, students learn to adopt the perspective of companies and to think in an application-oriented way. As a result, UAS graduates are highly employable on the labour market (less than 2% of UAS graduates are registered as unemployed) and have great potential to develop quickly in their professional careers," continues Koleznik.

"In view of the important socio-political role that universities of applied sciences play for their students and the Austrian economy, it is necessary for the current federal government to increase the number of study places at universities of applied sciences and ensure their quality by increasing the funding rates. The universities of applied sciences would certainly be in a position to achieve this expansion," concluded Secretary General Koleznik.