As far as the booking situation is concerned, VHS director Belmir Zec was unable to make any binding statements when presenting the annual program 2022/2023. The fact is, however, that access to educational opportunities has been made easier.
This is a result of the experiences from the pandemic period. “We have taken a giant step towards digitization in the VHS,” says the responsible city councilor Eva Schobesberger (Greens). Course instructors (around 600 in number) as well as course participants have been made technically fit.
Necessity became a virtue, the courses are available in hybrid variants (face-to-face or digital), which would ultimately also play into the hands of those interested who, for example, could not attend every course day due to time reasons or impairments. A third of the offer was switched to online. It should stay that way.
As much as Zec and Schobesberger hope that the courses and events can take place without major disruptions from outside (keyword new corona wave in autumn), the educational institution is now prepared for all eventualities. “We can react at the push of a button,” says Zec, who does not just mean compliance with possible corona measures. Postponing courses and events or changing their form is now a dynamic process.
In accordance with the educational mandate, the Adult Education Center also takes on topics that are socially relevant and need to be discussed. Example of violence against women. Yvonne Widler will present her book “Home are you dead daughters – why men murder women and we are allowed to look the other way more” in the Knowledge Tower. “We don’t shy away from discussion,” says Schobesberger. This also applies to the new autumn series “Klima.Wissen.Zukunft”.
Inclusion is one of the focal points of the annual programme, as individual IT training courses are offered for people who are severely visually impaired. Accessibility is also an issue on smartphones.
“For me, the VHS is not just an educational institution, it also has a social function,” says Zec. “Many a course is like a regulars’ table. People meet here.”
The new program book is available free of charge from the citizens’ service in the new town hall and in all city libraries. It is also available online (www.vhs.linz.at)
Source: Nachrichten
