Overview: Qualification Initiative

Networking research and economy

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.

The SILICON ALPS Cluster, consisting of around 130 leading companies in the semiconductor industry and microelectronics, has launched the "TRANSFORM" educational initiative in cooperation with Graz University of Technology LLL and other technical universities. The aim is to support the companies on their way to becoming a leading technology region and to establish the location for EBS technologies. Electronic Based Systems (EBS) are components, devices and systems with micro- and nanoelectronics as well as the associated embedded software. In view of global challenges such as geopolitical shifts and demographic change, the initiative aims to specifically promote innovative skills, particularly in the area of "Power Cyber Physical Systems" and digitalisation, in order to equip companies for the future. The "TRANSFORM" training initiative comprises seven modules and three training levels that are flexibly tailored to the needs of companies and participants. Close cooperation with universities and an innovative micro-learning module are key components of this pioneering educational initiative.

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).

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".

The EU-funded project "GreenChips-EDU" brings together seven European universities and eight industry and research organizations to develop a joint educational program in electrical engineering and microelectronics. The goal is to strengthen the European microelectronics industry and train qualified engineers and technicians. Six universities are part of the "Unite!" alliance and focus particularly on digital content and interactive teaching formats to inspire young people for microelectronics and promote the sustainable development of microchips.

The project builds on existing master's programs and supplements them with online courses. Students can specialize in sustainable chip production, write theses in "green electronics," and participate in summer academies, hackathons, and makerspaces. Six universities offer double degrees. The content will be made available on the Unite! platform Metacampus, with courses offered in hybrid formats and events live-streamed and recorded.

The aim is to develop self-directed modules that can be completed at any time. Additionally, continuing education measures for industry professionals will be offered, ranging from short modules to MBA programs.

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.

EE4M addresses the increasing needs for training, re-, and upskilling of engineers in the mobility value chain from raw material to recycling and back into the loop. In recent years, the mobility value chain in Europe is significantly influenced by a multitude of hyper-dynamic factors, like changing consumer behavior, disruptive technologies, the need for decarbonization initiatives, hyperlocal mobility, etc. which leads to the fact that a continuous realignment of engineering education is indispensable for the long-term success. EE4M focuses on operations management (OM) as the main area of activity for engineers in the mobility value chain which is changing due to the two predominant drivers “Industry 4.0” (smart OM) and “Sustainability” (sustainable OM).

EE4M focuses on the professional development of smart and sustainability competences of engineers in the mobility value chain through innovative vocational educational modules supported by a transnational platform between the main drivers of the European mobility value chain (Austria, Greece, Italy, Spain). The innovation of EE4M can be explained by the fact that the entire value chain in the mobility sector serves as the basis for the empirically-based realignment of engineering education to create requirement-orientated competence profiles. During the EE4M project, more than 1,000 VET teachers/trainers, practitioners, and students from all over Europe within EQF levels 4-8 will be enabled to acquire transdisciplinary skills in the field of smart and sustainable OM through innovative teaching and learning environments.

A foundation for inclusive and borderless European VET education is to be laid to produce competent and well-trained VET students, graduates/professionals, and teachers. Boosting (inter)national skills ecosystems will successfully increase European competitiveness and employability, professionalize the European VET engineering education, and contribute to economic, ecologic, and social wellbeing.