WIFI’s (Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut – Institute For Economic Promotion Of The Austrian Economic Chambers) aim is to consolidate and promote competitive and international partnerships through innovative and efficient training.
Austrian companies are increasingly investing in their own competitiveness with Marketing & Sales and technical expertise their top concerns.
Austria is known for its effective education system. What, in your view, are the main points of this system?
WIFI offers innovative and effective training for businesses of all sizes, to help them succeed. As the working world changes, so must the world of education. Education is thus the key to success. People today need active problem-solving skills, they need to think entrepreneurially and act innovatively. This is why lifelong learning is my particular interest. To stay on the ball, learning has to be fun. We achieve this with vibrant and sustainable learning methods that encourage people to develop knowledge itself.
What is the largest target group of businesspeople that you work with?
We focus on executives, top management, project managers and their international strategies.
We live in a networked business world. To organise and run a business and make it sustainable, managers need ‘hard’ and ‘soft ‘ management techniques. Our management training courses offer practical orientation instead of dull theory, project work rather than pure memorisation. Our training experts come from top management positions in Austrian companies or are established, consultants and lecturers.
Young entrepreneurs especially need management skills to cope with their new responsibilities
Young entrepreneurs especially need management skills to cope with their new responsibilities. The WIFI Contractor Academy offers continuous education and has an offer for all levels of knowledge.
WIFI International is also involved in carrying out international educational projects in North Africa, Asia and the Middle-East. It offers added value for the Austrian economy, especially in the field of dual training in cooperation with AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA.
Where did the name WIFI come from, and what benefits do you offer world markets?
The name WIFI should be taken literally: the economy is powered by WIFI with know-how that is relevant in practice.
All Austrian companies and those in the CEE countries, CIS and Asia benefit because:
• WIFI serves as a platform and knowledge broker – in the fields of advertising, public relations, internet, new educational products, technologies and innovation,
• WIFI operates as an international interface – for knowledge transfer, international programs and new training concepts,
• WIFI reacts to the demands of SME partners – whether in management and innovation issues, or issues of corporate governance,
• WIFI personal certificates are transparent and reliable qualifications that attest clearly defined competencies and skills. They are renewed at regular intervals through recertification
• WIFI Recognised economic qualifications in the form of personal certificates are important indicators for actually acquired skills. The holder can perform competently according to national and internationally recognized market practice. Customers can rely on secure qualifications. The WIFI certification body is accredited by the Austrian Ministry of Economy and has certified more than 13,000 people,
• Skilled workers – A sticking point for economies to function can often be the availability of skilled professionals.