IV moves school lines to the center of the educational debate

With the event “Leadership is making school”, which took place on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in the Haus der Industry in Vienna, the industrial association (IV) put the role of headmaster and school leaders as managers at the center of the public discussion. Representatives from education policy, science, economy and school practice discussed how leadership can be sustainably strengthened and used as a positive lever for school quality and development. The event was opened by Martin Netzer, General Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, in the representation of Federal Minister Christoph Return, and Christoph Neumayer, General Secretary of the Industrial Association.

Minister of Education Return underlined the importance of strong leadership in the education system: “A school is always as good as its leadership. We therefore need strong school management. They are crucial for the further development of our education system. Good leadership creates innovation, quality and cohesion in everyday school life. The dialogue with partners from practice and business is an important impulse.” IV general secretary Neumayer also emphasized the relevance of the topic: “Best education needs strong school management. If you have responsibility, you also need the necessary scope for action. We want to show how modern leadership succeeds in schools-and why this is crucial for our society and the location.”

The event itself combined theoretical perspectives with a practiced practice. After the openings by Secretary General Netzer and IV General Secretary Neumayer, three school management-Mag. Thomas Angerer (HTL Vienna West), Mag. Dr. Michl Fleck (Ahs Anton-Krieger-Gasse) and Mag. Erika Tiefenbacher (MS Währing)-in compact impulses concrete insights into management experiences and challenges at their locations. Afterwards, the entrepreneur Dr. Therese Niss, the entrepreneur and educational initiative founder Mag. Nikolaus Griller and the renowned educational scientist Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Schratz on the future of Leadership at school.

With “Leadership makes school”, the IV wants to make a concrete contribution to the implementation of the educational policy project in the government program 2025-2029-and at the same time promote the exchange, visibility and further development of leadership at Austria’s schools. “The current government program contains a number of promising projects-such as the expansion of qualification measures or targeted mentoring programs. The decisive factor is now the consistent implementation. Because Leadership at schools is not a border issue-it is central to the future of our education system,” says IV General Secretary Neumayer.

You can find photos of the event here And you can find the entire IV training program here.