The Summer School is part of WU4Juniors, an initiative for promoting economic literacy among young people. The 20 program items of the 2022 edition were all held in a face-to-face format again, for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. 27 young people from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Turkey, aged 16 to 19, took this opportunity to gain deeper insights into business and economics, build contacts, and get a glimpse of university life.

WU4Juniors is an initiative that provides free-of-charge economic literacy training. It gives young people the opportunity to develop a basic understanding of economic mechanisms such as taxes, stocks, or loans, based on online learning modules available free of charge on WU’s LearnPublic platform. A five-day Summer School is held in mid-July every year to complement the online learning experience. This year marked the third edition of this event, which gives teenagers the opportunity to learn more about economics and business and prepare for a potential WU degree program.

A varied program featuring researchers and practitioners

The Summer School participants took part in a comprehensive campus tour, learned about the various subject and research areas covered at WU, and met representatives of well-known companies who shared aspects of their practical experience. During an interactive workshop held together with the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB), the teenagers learned about the OeNB’s role in the Austrian financial and economic system and explored a key aspect of economic literacy: managing money. The program also included a business game focusing on the consequences of entrepreneurial decisions, a session exploring how creative methods can be used to develop innovations, taught by WU’s own Innovation Office, and a project where the participants worked on a business-related topic in small groups. For their work during the Summer School, the teenagers received a certificate that is eligible for credit transfer towards a WU degree program and also serves as a valuable asset for their CV.

WU4Juniors – A successful initiative for promoting economic literacy

The Summer School is part of WU4Juniors, an initiative aiming to teach business and economics skills to young people. WU4Juniors was launched in 2019 by WU Vienna and the Berndorf Private Foundation, and it is funded by the OeAD and the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Demand for the online learning modules has been rising continuously since the launch of the initiative: A total of over 11,000 badges have been awarded to learners so far. More than 17,500 users have signed up on the LearnPublic platform, completing a combined total of around 32,000 individual modules.

The application period for the 2023 Summer School will start in the coming fall. 57 online modules on 15 business and economics topics are currently available to young people who want to prepare for the Summer School or simply deepen their knowledge.

Find out more about WU4Juniors and the Summer School at wu.at/wu4juniors.