The trends in further education in 2022
Renate Woerle-Vélez Pardo, head of the WIFI Salzburg institute, and Franz Fuchs-Weikl, managing director of the BFI Salzburg, know that many people are using the pandemic phase for further training. In the SN interview, they tell us what is particularly in demand and how people deal with online lessons.
Which educational opportunities were very popular in your institution in 2021? Renate Woerle-Vélez Pardo: Even in times of the pandemic, our range of courses has been extremely well received by the people of Salzburg. The professional training courses for various professional sectors were in particularly high demand. In the tourism/gastronomy sector in particular, many further training courses were booked with the AMS funding in the short-time work caused by the pandemic, such as cooking, sommelier, bartender and barista training as well as patisserie and food-and-beverage training. Management courses on company management, courses in marketing and sales, as well as training in media design, photography, video and film, and trainer training for apprentice trainers were also in demand. There were also good bookings for courses in electrical, automotive and metal technology. Perennial favorites were the vocational matriculation examination and apprenticeship, again with a high school diploma.
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Image: SN/bfi
Franz Fuchs-Weikl: In 2021, the trend will continue unabated towards advanced training courses and catching up on educational qualifications. This shows the dynamics of the labor market: It is currently easier for employees with the appropriate skills and qualifications to move up and down the career ladder than it was before the pandemic. In detail, all courses at our consulting academy are booming, from mediation and conflict management to digital trainers and the design academy. We also had more participants in courses such as craniosacral bodywork and yoga flow trainers. In addition, we have had great demand for our accounting and payroll courses and training. When catching up on educational qualifications, we experienced significant increases in the right to study and compulsory schooling. The demand for the vocational school leaving examination and apprenticeship with Matura is also unbroken. After the difficult Corona year 2020, the apprenticeship qualification in the second educational path celebrated a revival last year. Companies are now again offering internships as part of on-the-job training. They complete their supplementary training at the BFI.
The further training variant with the recognition of professional experience through our offer “You can do something!” is becoming increasingly important when completing an apprenticeship. to. The demand for German courses has increased rapidly. Last, but not least, 2021 was a year of care at the BFI. In addition to the planned training, we have been able to start a three-year diploma training and further training as a nursing assistant with the support of AK, Land Salzburg and AMS. An innovation was the new course from the nursing assistant to the bachelor’s degree in health and nursing at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences.
Many offers were held online due to the pandemic. How did people deal with it? Woerle: Our customers have now become friends with live online training. More and more course participants appreciate virtual lessons, which is why we offer two different options for some courses: face-to-face or online lessons. There is even increased demand for the live online variants in various areas such as bookkeeping, balance sheet accounting or payroll accounting and also for entrepreneur training. The advantages are obvious: This saves you time and money. Of course, virtual lessons cannot be compared to face-to-face lessons. Distance learning simply lacks the social contacts that make learning easier. Despite everything, many find it good that the possibility exists.
Fuchs Weikl: In general, it can be said that new learning formats are becoming increasingly popular beyond the needs of the pandemic. Depending on the department, online educational offers – also independent of the corona pandemic – play a central role. Courses and training courses in blended learning are also in demand. The advantages of face-to-face teaching and e-learning are combined here.
What is the forecast for demand for supply in 2022? Fuchs-Weikl: The trend described for 2021 is currently continuing unabated. New training offers support the trend, such as the extended offer in the field of elementary education: We cooperate with the center for kindergarten education with the support of the state of Salzburg. In addition, we have developed offers for university entrance qualifications that enable working people to access the colleges for elementary education. The need for skilled workers also continues to occupy many companies in Salzburg. We are noticing an increase in inquiries about the topics of competence assessment and development. This is where our unique skilled worker project “You can do something!” a major role. Apprenticeship training is also becoming increasingly important. Overall, we are reacting to these developments today with additional offers from our “Service for companies” department.
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Image: SN/wifi/hechenberger
Worle: The WIFI is the number one in Salzburg for professional training and further education. In order to counteract the increasing shortage of skilled workers, targeted training and further education should be used. The WIFI is a partner of the Salzburg economy and stands for innovation and quality. During the pandemic, we learned to adapt quickly to the changing framework conditions and to increasingly rely on digital forms of teaching and learning. This ongoing strategic realignment is necessary to remain fit for the future. We are aware of the key role in the professional qualification of the people of Salzburg and will continue to promote it.
Regarding the mood in terms of continuing education: How has the number of participants at your institution developed over the past year? Woerle: Despite the difficult framework conditions caused by Corona, WIFI Salzburg can look back on an exceptionally good year with 28,900 participants. Sales increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year. With almost 2800 courses, twelve percent more events were held. We have also recorded a growth of over ten percent in the number of participant hours completed. This is mainly due to the fact that the WIFI has many new e-learning offers for individual learning. These courses can be booked flexibly without fixed dates, such as online courses for languages, various marketing topics such as social media or content marketing, sales, IT security, web design, IT user training or office management. The positive development in the number of participants shows that we are on the right track with our course program. In addition, the course participants gave WIFI a very good certificate again, because customer satisfaction is 1.3 according to the school grading system. And the recommendation rate is 97 percent.
Fuchs-Weikl: The number of participants remained stable at a high level in 2020 and 2021. At the same time, demand has shifted towards courses. This means that the participants attend longer training courses with us and strive for high, recognized educational qualifications.
Accessed on March 2nd, 2022 at 2:20 a.m. at https://karriere.sn.at/karriere-ratgeber/fort-weiterbildung/die-trends-in-der-weiterbildung-des- Jahres-2022-117529687