Eckert Schools are "Digital Champion 2022"

Eckert Schools are Bavaria's largest campus for continuing education and are one of the "Digital Champions 2022" in Germany. This is the result of a new study among more than 10,000 companies in Germany which has now been published by the magazine "Focus Money".

According to the study, Eckert Schools performed well in all three assessment categories – digitalisation, technology and innovation – and are among the "digital drivers" in Germany.

Four out of five Germans use a smartphone, and seven out of ten regularly sit down with a laptop. According to an online study by the Postbank, the average time each individual spent online between 2020 and 2021 increased by around one sixth, from 56 hours to 65 hours per week. However, that's just one side of the coin. Digital skills are also becoming increasingly especially important in the world of work. 

According to a study by the industry association Bitkom, increasing numbers of German companies are also recognising this. Eight out of ten businesses take the view, for example, that digitalisation has gained in importance for them. Two out of three local companies are therefore seeking to increase their spending on digitalisation and technology initiatives. 

Study: Germans are "digital dawdlers". If you compare Germany's businesses internationally, then it's high time we picked up the pace in this sector. "It is apparent that, as a society, we need a much greater emphasis on the opportunities provided by digitalisation if we wish to avoid being permanently seen as digital dawdlers," says Gérard Richter, head of McKinsey Digital in Germany. This is because, as McKinsey has brought to light, it is also true that over half of Germans are not open to innovation. “This scepticism must be openly challenged, and technologies must be systematically introduced,” explains the study. 

The consulting experts have worked out that by 2030 more than 6.5 million persons in gainful employment in Germany will need to develop new skills to a significant level in order to implement the continuing digitalisation. "A new (continuing) education system geared towards lifelong learning will qualify the workforce for the working worlds of the future, which will continue to develop dynamically," explains the study "Germany 2030 – Creative Renewal". 

This was the goal which Eckert Schools committed themselves to at an early stage and which is now also the basis for the award as one of Germany's "Digital Champions". For this study, conducted on behalf of "Deutschlandtest" and "Focus Money", the Institute for Management and Economic Research (IMWF), supported by the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI), evaluated around 12,500 businesses based on individual questionnaires and over 400 online sources. 

"Digital  revolution" on the timetable

Digitalisation and new technologies are now firmly integrated in the teaching and learning concepts at Eckert Schools. Delivering learning content online, linking this to in-person courses and cooperating in virtual teams is a lived reality at the Eckert Schools. Digital learning methods and working processes are also the norm at Eckert. This includes, for example, 3D manufacturing in technical areas. “Here, we have the digital revolution on the timetable,” says Andrea Radlbeck, company spokesperson for Eckert Schools. 

Initiator of the "Digital Skills Network"

The Eckert Schools are also the initiator of the "Digital Skills Network" [Netzwerks Digitalkompetenz]. Its main goal is to ensure that the skilled workers of today can successfully navigate their way through the world of tomorrow with a "digital mindset". "We are delighted that this digital focus on the future has now been recognised with the award of Digital Champion and that companies and skilled workers alike realise that digital expertise is becoming increasingly important," explains Radlbeck.

Today, at Eckert Schools, around 9,000 attendees lay the foundations for new career opportunities in the future. Over the past 75 years, this is where over 100,000 young and experienced people in employment have found the spark to ignite their careers. Today, the group employs around 1,800 staff on an extensive campus supporting learning and study not far from the City of Regensburg, and also across Germany in more than 50 locations. 

Multiple awards for quality of learning

The "Digital Champion 2022" quality mark supplements a series of awards from independent analyses and rankings in which Eckert Schools have recently performed well. For the third time in a row, "Stern" awarded the company the title of Germany's "best provider of vocational education and training" with top grades in all the assessment criteria. "Focus" magazine crowned Eckert Schools as Germany's "Top provider of continuing education 2022" and as a "Trendsetter of the German economy".