On Wednesday, December 11th, 2024, over 150 participants from business, IT and education came together for the CorporateMeetsStudents event at the innovative Campus 42 Vienna. With the event, the non-profit educational institution, which offers free IT training at a university level, created a platform for intensive exchange between established companies and aspiring IT talents. The focus of the discussions was the central role of software competence not only for economic growth, but also for the overall social development of Austria.
“Austria must take courageous and innovative paths in order not to lose touch internationally. 42 Vienna is a pioneering training model that trains urgently needed IT specialists to the highest standards. We prepare over 450 students perfectly for the challenges of a constantly changing digital world. The active participation of numerous partners from 42 Vienna in today’s event underlines how closely business and education must work together to successfully shape the digital transformation.”
explains Tatjana Lulevic-Heyny, Managing Director of 42 Vienna. And added a lesson learned from the exchange with the participating companies: “Our programmers don’t have to be afraid of AI either, because high-quality code is made by people.”
In the first keynote on the “Future of Connectivity”, futurologist Marcel Aberle highlighted the challenges of digital transformation: “The balance between the human and the digital is the central task of our time. We must design technology to connect people rather than divide them. A campus like 42 Vienna and events like this are exactly the right breeding ground for the kind of collaboration we need.”
Nadia Tor, Sales Director G&E at ZTE Austria and ambassador of WOMENinICT in VÖSI (Association of Austrian Software Innovations), emphasized the importance of diverse and inclusive teams in IT in her keynote speech on diversity in the IT industry: “We are all different and yet somehow the same – that is exactly what makes the difference. The fact that only one in four IT jobs is held by a woman shows the urgent need for action. But diversity goes beyond gender – we all have our prejudices, but that’s exactly why mixed teams are so valuable. They bring different perspectives and make better decisions as a result. The path to IT is open to everyone: you just have to have the courage to become part of the change.”
Dietmar Wiesinger, CEO of CANCOM Austria AG, concluded the keynotes with a pragmatic look at developments in artificial intelligence and data science. “Despite the AI hype, only the strategy in which we use data to solve real problems will prevail,” he emphasized. Wiesinger sees the connection to practice as a central strength of 42 Vienna’s training concept: “This is a very good model that brings together trainees and companies with many years of experience. With formats like today, the users in the company come into direct contact with the trainees and can thereby communicate the needs of the market and the actual requirements from practice.”
Following these keynotes, experts from leading companies discussed current challenges in the areas of cybersecurity, diversity and data science.
The event ended with an atmospheric Christmas party, where students, company representatives and experts were able to deepen their discussions in a relaxed atmosphere.
Presenters and panelists included (in alphabetical order): Marcel Aberle (futurologist), Helene Baumgartner (Chamber of Workers and Employees for Vienna), Arthur Bied Charreton (42 Vienna Student), Daniela Drakulic (BEKO Solutions GmbH), Walter Huemer (Huemer Group), Milen Mitulovic (Social Insurance Chip Cards Betriebs- und Erfassungsgesellschaft mbH), Florian Pauker (EVVA Security Technology GmbH), Sebastian Pleschko (karriere.at), Kathrin Preiner (Fronius International GmbH), Francis Rafal (Totoy GmbH), Andreas Tomek (KPMG Austria GmbH), Bernhard Thaler (Raiffeisen Informatik GmbH & Co KG), Nadia Tor (ZTE Austria), Nicol Weghofer (42 Vienna student) and Dietmar Wiesinger (CANCOM).
About 42 Vienna
The non-profit, innovative Campus 42 Vienna is part of the international 42 education system for digital excellence and uses the revolutionary approach of project-based peer-to-peer learning, in which 42 completely dispenses with teachers, reading and traditional classroom teaching. The free and open training for all students aged 18 and over – regardless of background, personal circumstances or previous academic qualifications – focuses on logical thinking, creativity and teamwork. The independent and solution-oriented students and future IT experts benefit from a practice-oriented, flexible learning concept at an internationally comparable university level that is tailored to the requirements of the modern job market.