Cooperation between Infineon Austria and Caritas: Infineon Education Fund provides start-up aid for children and teenagers

Villach, 22 January 2020 – Infineon Technologies Austria AG and its cooperation partner Caritas Carinthia have launched the Infineon Education Fund, dedicated to promoting school education for disadvantaged Carinthian children and young people living in poverty. Four Caritas projects in Carinthia will receive funding to the amount of 50,000 euros from the Education Fund in 2020. One of the central objectives is to set up additional “Lerncafé” groups. Lerncafés are organized by Caritas to help children from 6 to 15 years with their homework and assist them in preparing for tests. The tuition is offered free of charge. As one of the first measures of the cooperation scheme, an additional “Lerncafé” for 30 children was opened in Villach. The funding for this “Infineon Lerncafé” came from the Infineon Education Fund.

Sabine Herlitschka, CEO Infineon Austria: “A good education and above all access to good education is decisive for the individual, social and professional development. It is also an important lever to making a country fit for the future. We see the Infineon Education Fund as a jump-start aid for families who cannot afford the money that is needed to help their children with studying. We would like to open doors and give these young people a real chance. We look forward to cooperating with Caritas, an organization that is very close to the people and has already initiated various effective measures.”

“Children are our future. They need our solidarity. It is up to us to make a successful life possible for them and support them as best we can”, says the Director of Caritas Carinthia Josef Marketz. “Thanks to the Infineon Education Fund, we can assist many children and young people on their education journey”, Marketz continues and thanks the global company.

Investment in the future

In addition to the Lerncafé, the Infineon Education Fund also provides funding to cover the expenses of individual tutoring, kindergarten and after-school center fees and school events. The cooperation is designed for the long term.

Oliver Heinrich, CFO Infineon Austria: “As a leading company we have a social responsibility for the region and we are happy to live up to this responsibility. The Infineon Education Fund provides much-needed support and relieves Carinthian families from financial and social pressure and thus creates the basis for success at school. It ties in with our many Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in the field of education that range from kindergarten to university level. Since 2014 alone, we have reached out to 60,000 children and young people throughout Austria through our activities.”

The company also intends to motivate its 3,800 members of staff in Carinthia, many of whom are already active as volunteers in their freetime in various charities, to become involved as tutors in the Caritas Lerncafés.

Lerncafé: much more than just private lessons

Managing school without help is not possible for every child, and their parents are often unable to afford private extra lessons. This is why the “Lerncafé Infineon” opened in early January 2020 in addition to the existing Caritas Lerncafé in Brauhausgasse 10 in Villach. The voluntary assistants help 30 children and young people between the ages of six and 15 with their homework and with preparing for upcoming tests. 25 voluntary study assistants give the girls and boys confidence in their own abilities so that they find learning to be fun. In respectful interaction with each other, social skills are acquired and individual personality development is supported. The climate is one of appreciation embracing the diversity of different cultures and religions.

Success rate 99 percent

The Caritas Lerncafés are a veritable success project of Caritas Austria. More than 21,000 children and teenagers received assistance in 54 facilities throughout Austria in 2018! In Carinthia, an impressive 99 percent of the 180 pupils attending the five Lerncafés in Villach, Klagenfurt (2), Wolfsberg and St. Gertraud/Lavanttal have successfully completed the school year. “The demand is even higher. More than 100 children are still waiting for a free place in one of our Lerncafés”, says Christian Eile. The Caritas Carinthia manager of the “People in Need” division thanks Infineon for the additional 30 places in Villach. “Education is the best poverty prevention. Children and young people have a right to it. A good education increases their chances of social participation in life. Fair access to education should be made possible for all, so that no talent or gift is lost.”

Infineon Technologies Austria AG is a group subsidiary of Infineon Technologies AG, a world-leading provider of semiconductor solutions that make life easier, safer and greener. Microelectronics from Infineon reduce the energy consumption of consumer electronics, domestic appliances and industrial facilities. They make a major contribution to the convenience, security and sustainability of vehicles, and enable secure transactions in the Internet of Things.

Besides Germany, Infineon Austria is the only subsidiary within the group that pools competencies for research and development, production as well as global business responsibility. The head office is in Villach, with further branches in Graz, Klagenfurt, Linz and Vienna. With 4,609 employees from around 68 countries (including 1,977 in research and development), in the financial year 2019 (ending in September) the company achieved a turnover of € 3.1 billion. An R&D expense rate of €525 million makes Infineon Austria the strongest industrial research company in Austria.