Digital Überall (Digital Everywhere)

Digital Überall (Digital Everywhere) is a nationwide workshop programme coordinated by Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD) to strengthen the basic digital skills of adults in Austria. Many adults – especially those who are older, live in rural areas, or have limited educational background or low income – still lack essential digital skills.

The project offers 5,000 free workshops across all federal states, implemented by over 50 adult education providers. It was created in response to the EU’s Digital Decade objective that at least 80% of the population possess basic digital skills by 2030, and to address the specific challenges faced by underserved communities in accessing digital education – groups at risk of digital exclusion, which can compound existing inequalities and hinder active participation in society.

Accessible, inclusive, needs-oriented learning opportunities

Digital Überall is a model for inclusive education and social participation that meets learners where they are, both geographically and in terms of their skill levels.

The programme is intentionally designed to be low-threshold: free of charge, without prerequisites, and available to all adults, regardless of prior knowledge or formal education.

Adult education providers have the flexibility to design specific workshop content within five broad topics, enabling them to respond to regional needs and learner interests. The topics are:

• Digital education for seniors
• E-government
• Online safety
• Everyday digital life
• Artificial intelligence (AI)

Structure, reach, and value in underserved communities

A central element of the project’s success is its dual booking system. This dual structure ensures both wide reach and local relevance, enabling workshops to be delivered in diverse settings and formats.

• In the individual booking model, adult education providers independently schedule and promote workshops.
• In the group booking model, municipalities select and host workshops tailored to their community, working in partnership with the providers.

Digital Überall has reached over 41,000 participants in every Austrian district. Evaluation data shows high satisfaction (94.7%), especially regarding the quality of trainers and relevance of workshop content. Over 700 municipalities have already taken part, and around 530 local coordinators (Digi-Dolmetscher/innen) support community outreach. Future goals include delivering the remaining 800 workshops by the end of 2025 and launching 1,000 extended course series as part of “Digital Überall PLUS” from April 2025 to June 2026.

The initiative not only boosts digital skills but also strengthens Austria’s adult education landscape through new partnerships and innovative formats, and aims to ensure that no one is left behind.