The internships are intended for people who have been granted asylum in Austria, especially refugees who have begun or partly or fully completed an education in the fields of economics, the social sciences, or other suitable academic disciplines which qualify them to work on projects at academic units or possibly also service units at WU. WU has established these internship positions with the support of the Berndorf Private Foundation.

Supporting social integration

In cooperation with partners and sponsors, WU has been working to help refugees for several years now. “WU wants to send a message of solidarity in difficult times. We are continuously expanding our activities in support of refugees, and our latest initiative in this respect is the creation of several academic internship positions for refugees,” says WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger. Vice-Rector for Human Resources Michael Lang adds, “The internships at WU are intended to help refugees to build on their previous education and gain a foothold in the job market more quickly. At the same time, the internships are also meant to help people with their integration in Austrian society and to give them better prospects for their future.”

WU’s commitment to help refugees

In 2010, WU launched the “<link https: www.wu.ac.at en students masters-student-guide honors-programs-and-volunteering volunteeringwu lernen-macht-schule>Lernen macht Schule” volunteering program in cooperation with Caritas Vienna and the REWE Group. Each year, more than 150 WU students participate in this program as learning buddies, providing support to about 200 socially disadvantaged children and teens, for instance young people who live in refugee shelters or shared apartments for unaccompanied refugee minors or who are looked after by organizations that provide advisory, therapeutic, and educational services to refugee families.

WU, Caritas Vienna, and the REWE Group also offer regular German courses for asylum seekers who do not have any prior knowledge of German.

In addition, WU also offers <link https: www.wu.ac.at en the-university about-wu initiative-for-refugees>a number of courses as part of the MORE initiative launched by Universities Austria (uniko). The goal of the MORE initiative is to provide support and assistance to refugees who are considering a degree program or are looking to improve their German skills.