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fit4internet: digital competence in the Austrian Armed Forces

The Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV), together with the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) and fit4internet, an association initiated by BMDW, wants to create awareness for digital competencies within the Austrian Armed Forces.

This pilot project is intended to promote the rapid and standardized development of competencies for coping with the current demands of digitization. The opportunities offered by digitization for Austria, its population and the economy are also to be exploited within the Austrian Armed Forces. The official start of the BMLV's cooperation with the BMDW and fit4internet to increase digital skills was announced on Tuesday at a press conference at the Vienna Positioning Committee.

"Only if we take coordinated, targeted and future-oriented measures here, we will be able to increase the resilience of our business and digital location Austria. Digital literacy is anchored in the Digitization Action Plan and is a cross-cutting issue which we are now addressing together with the Federal Ministry of Defence," said Margarete Schramböck, Federal Minister of Digital and Economic Affairs, about this joint measure in the context of the Digitization Action Plan, which affects the whole of Austria and all ministries and institutions. The secure and competent interaction of citizens in the digital world is a basic prerequisite for this; the increase of digital skills in Austria is the goal. One of the first measures is the inclusion of the self-assessment test "allCHECK - CHECK Digitale Alltagskompetenz" in the positioning process.

"However, this is only a first measure, which lays the foundation for the future cooperation with the BMDW and fit4internet. One thing is clear to all of us: we need a modern, further developed, versatile army to be able to competently meet the challenges of the present, but also the threats of the future. For example, basic military service is a formative time for young people and learning about one's own strengths and potential for improvement in various areas during this time is a great opportunity," explains Klaudia Tanner, Federal Minister of Defence.

As Chairman of Raiffeisen-Holding NÖ-Wien and Militia Representative, Erwin Hameseder, Major General of the Austrian Armed Forces, also comments on this ground-breaking cooperation: "Applications in the Austrian Armed Forces and thus in the militia are also becoming increasingly digital. It is crucial that our own digital skills are continuously developed in the spirit of lifelong learning. In addition, we need young people in the economy who have a broad range of digital skills. The corona crisis has made this very clear, particularly for banks as a system-relevant sector. Knowing what their own digital skills are is a basic prerequisite for keeping pace with digital change. The fact that the Austrian Armed Forces are providing support in the form of individual assessments of digital skills, but also in promoting their own digital development, is a correct and important step.”

Ulrike Domany-Funtan, general secretary of fit4internet, also emphasizes the importance of broad digital skills training: "It is important that we ensure digital inclusion and enable as many people as possible to keep pace with the rapid digital change. Digital basic skills - geared to their own needs - are a prerequisite for this. Whether young or old, whether privately or professionally, it is no longer possible today without digital skills. That is why the range of training opportunities must not only be continuously adapted, but also continuously expanded for different target groups.”