Vodafone Foundation Germany gGmbH
Berlin/Düsseldorf (ots)
- Representative survey by the Vodafone Foundation Germany: Computer science is a regular school subject for only 54 percent of the surveyed students aged 14 and over
- 79 percent of all young people see digital skills as particularly important for the future
- More than two-thirds of young people see more advantages than disadvantages in digitization for society
Young people from all walks of life are positive about the digital future: 69 percent expect digitization to trigger positive social developments and 79 percent see advantages for their personal development. In addition, 79 percent classify digital skills as indispensable for the future. However, when it comes to preparing for the digital future, job entrants in particular feel ill-prepared. Appropriately, more than half of the students rate the digital equipment in schools as insufficient. These are the results of a representative study commissioned by the Vodafone Foundation Germany, for which more than 2,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 24 were interviewed.
Use the optimism of young people
“Young people are looking forward to the digital future with hope and recognize the importance of digital skills. Unfortunately, according to the results of our study, schools do not yet teach them enough,” explains Matthias Graf von Kielmansegg, Managing Director of the Vodafone Foundation Germany. “In particular, young adults who have just started their careers do not feel sufficiently fit to live and work in the digital world. That should be a wake-up call for us.”
Young professionals complain about preparation for the digital world of work
68 percent of young people in school or training rate the preparation for a future in which digital technologies play an important role as very good or good. The verdict is different for young people who already have a degree or are in the workforce. Looking back, 69 percent rate the preparation during their school days as insufficient. “If we teach young people resilience, motivation, a growth mindset and effective learning strategies, then they are prepared for jobs that don’t exist today, for technologies that have not yet been developed and for social challenges that we still face today couldn’t imagine,” comments Prof. Dr. Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education at the OECD.
Schools not adequately equipped to teach digital skills
The majority of young people see their parents as responsible for imparting social and emotional future skills, for example for characteristics such as empathy (79 percent) and a sense of responsibility (63 percent). Schools and universities, on the other hand, are given the task of imparting pre-employment skills such as dealing with digital technologies (76 percent) and independent organization (60 percent).
The schools in particular are not sufficiently prepared for this, according to the respondents. Just under half (56 percent) of 14 to 24-year-olds rate the digital equipment in schools as very good or good overall. Computer science is a regular school subject for only 54 percent of those surveyed and only 44 percent report that all students have freely available tablets or computers.
Uncertainty about the protection of one’s own data on the Internet
Young people feel prepared for dealing with fake news: 70 percent are very certain or certain that they recognize fake news, while 30 percent have doubts. The situation is different when it comes to the ability to adequately protect one’s own data on the Internet: 52 percent of 14 to 24-year-olds feel safe, 48 percent are rather unsure when it comes to data protection issues on the Internet.
The study can be downloaded from this link:
www.vodafone-stiftung.de/jugendstudie-kompetenzen-2023
methodology of the study
The survey was carried out by the opinion research institute Infratest dimap on behalf of the Vodafone Foundation Germany. The population for the survey was 2,069 German-speaking young people between the ages of 14 and 24 (1,037 14 to 19 year olds and 1,032 20 to 24 year olds) in private households in Germany. The sampling was carried out as a quota sample. The quotas were set up in such a way that the sample corresponds to the structure of the basic population in the essential characteristics.
About the Vodafone Foundation Germany
Actively shaping the digital world requires new skills. We have to understand new technologies, critically question changes and create creative solutions for the challenges of the 21st century together. That is why the Vodafone Foundation is rethinking education for the digital society. Together with pioneers from politics, science and civil society, we research, engage in socio-political debates and develop innovative educational offers. www.vodafone-stiftung.de
Press contact:
Contact us for any questions or individual interview requests
please contact the press office of the Vodafone Foundation:
Sebastian Pfister
communications manager
[email protected]
+49 174 188 22 45
Original content from: Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland gGmbH, transmitted by news aktuell
