Salzburg-Lehen

Young IT students help the older generation

"A wonderful idea," says Maria Großpointner, delighted with Philipp's advice(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Large crowds attended the service day at the Landesberufsschule 4 vocational school in Salzburg-Lehen. Older Salzburg residents let the young professionals navigate them through the digital world and reap the benefits.

Her laptop sometimes tests the patience of the 59-year-old from Salzburg: "It's all about lots of little hoppalas," says Maria Großpointner, explaining how she feels in her increasingly digital everyday life. She is not alone in thinking that you are often just a few clicks away from a solution and still feel hopelessly overwhelmed.

 The Salzburg native takes a seat with her computer and relies entirely on the professional advice of Philipp Hillinger, a budding IT expert from the graduating class. He explains the individual steps in a calm voice. There is immediate trust. Then another visitor comes in desperately with his broken cell phone: Water contact destroyed all the data, photos and memories are gone.

17 boys are part of the IT consulting team at the vocational school. One room away, Angelo Stankovic and Stephan Embacher help with problems with cell phones or PC hardware and software. Biggest challenge: "Understanding what customers want straight away." The budding IT experts then have to find the right language to translate their technical expertise.

During their first consultations, the students can really take their time with the customers' problems. There's no clock ticking. Both sides benefit.

Wolfgang Hyden, Direktor an der Landesberufsschule 4

Bild: Tröster Andreas

The largest group at the eleventh free advice day of the IT graduating class is the over-50s generation. Whether it's orders, funding applications or other administrative procedures: everyday life is also becoming increasingly digital.

Older generation feels marginalized
According to statistics, around half of Austrians over the age of 55 still have little to no IT skills. Not even a third of this age group sees new technologies as an enrichment. Those who cannot ask children, grandchildren or other family members for help quickly despair.