“Digital Überall PLUS”: Basic Digital Training for Specific Target Groups

The Digital Skills Initiative (DKO) aims to ensure that 80 % of the Austrian popu­la­ti­on possess basic digital skills by 2030. Currently, the average stands at 63 % among the 16- to 74-year-olds. The Digital Überall PLUS initia­ti­ve addresses this gap, focusing, amongst other things, on target groups that are difficult to reach through further education programmes.

Between June 2025 and June 2026, seven projects com­mis­sio­ned by the OeAD’s Office for Digital Skills will be carried out as part of Digital Überall PLUS to provide basic digital education to people at risk of social exclusion. The pro­gram­mes listed below take different, and in some cases inno­va­ti­ve, approa­ches to promoting digital participation:

• „Le+O Digi Help“ by Caritas Vienna;
• „Digital Dabei!“ by Caritas Salzburg;
• „Mein digitaler Alltag“ by VHS Salzburg;
• „DigiLAB“ by Lebensgroß GmbH;
• „Digital Coach – GenConnect“ by Qualitätszeit;
• „Digitale Hilfsmittel für Menschen mit Sehbeeinträchtigungen“ by the Austrian Association Supporting the Blind and Visually Impaired;
• „Digitale Werkzeugkiste plus“ by Arbeit plus – Social Integration Enterprises of Austria

As part of the formative eva­lua­ti­on carried out by 3s Research & Consulting, 48 semi-struc­tu­red inter­views are conducted with project managers, trainers, par­ti­ci­pan­ts, peers and mul­ti­pli­ers. In addition, on-site visits, tally sheets, project docu­men­ta­ti­on and digital usage data are included in the eva­lua­ti­on. On this basis, it is possible to map out the imple­men­ta­ti­on, approa­ches and reported expe­ri­en­ces of those involved, as well as to derive recom­men­da­ti­ons for future commissions.

Further infor­ma­ti­on on the indi­vi­du­al projects can be found here.