OCG Cares

In autumn 2015, the Austrian Computer Society (OCG) launched 'OCG Cares' in response to the refugee crisis, aiming to give refugees who had to leave their homes ICT and German-language skills. After a strategic meeting of stakeholders in December 2015, 22 refugees started crossover IT & German courses, aiming to prepare for ECDL Base certification by summer.

The project's objective is to empower refugees to facilitate their integration into the labour market and society by upgrading their ICT and language skills, in line with the European digital literacy initiative of bridging the gap between the digitally literate and illiterate.

Since February 2016, weekly two-hour ECDL courses (Computer Essentials, Online Essentials, Word Processing and Spreadsheets modules) have run for two groups at OCG's Vienna office, taught by volunteer ECDL testers using free learning material from publishers Ikon and Herdt. Contact was established with refugee NGOs in Vienna (Flüchtlingsprojekt Ute Bock, INSEL, Akuthilfe Hietzing) and refugees took assessment tests via OCG's Sophia Testing System. Due to demand, the courses continued into autumn 2016 with beginner and advanced-beginner groups.

The response to the project was very positive, with refugees making good progress in both IT skills and German. No formal evaluation was conducted.

OCG frames the ECDL certificate — a well-known, respected standard in the business world — as empowering refugees and easing their integration, describing the project as a 'win-win' for society and migrants, and as a potential multiplier for similar future efforts.