Infineon Austria continues Education Fund with Caritas Carinthia and enters into new partnership with Caritas Styria

Graz, Villach, 28 April 2022 - Hadischat from Chechnya, who listens to music with enthusiasm and likes to read, is in the third grade at the Center for Human Resource Schools (CHS) Villach. There she had problems following the math lessons in distance learning. Ralf Walter, a volunteer learning assistant and retired Infineon employee, worked with her on the subject matter via the Caritas “Lerncafé” Infineon and, for the most part, via e-learning. And with success: her grade improved from five to three and Hadischat is happy: "I am very grateful to Mr. Walter. I couldn't have done it without him." Almost all children and young people who attend a Caritas “Lerncafé” feel the same way as Hadischat. Here, compulsory school students with and without a migration background aged six to 15 are given the opportunity to do homework with voluntary learning assistants and to study for upcoming tests and schoolwork - free of charge. Even in the current Ukraine crisis, the Caritas learning cafés are proving to be important anchor points and offer many children and young people a stable environment. 

Two federal states: Infineon Austria expands cooperation.
Infineon Austria will support Caritas “Lerncafés” in Carinthia and, for the first time, in Styria with a total of 78,000 euros in 2022. In Carinthia, the semiconductor company is continuing the Infineon Education Fund, which was launched in 2020: a total of Euro 60,000 per year will be used to support projects that help promote the school education of disadvantaged children and young people living in poverty in Carinthia. For example, the Caritas “Lerncafé” Infineon in Villach receives 45,000 euros per year to fully fund learning assistance and tutoring, and 15,000 euros per year to support the “Lerncafé” in Spittal, which opened in June 2021 thanks to Infineon Austria as the main sponsor. In addition, Infineon Austria enters into a cooperation with Caritas Styria, which operates nine “Lerncafés” like its "sister" in Carinthia, for the first time and supports the “Lerncafé” in Graz Lend with 18,000 euros per year.

Oliver Heinrich, CFO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG: "I am very pleased that we are now going beyond Carinthia and supporting the Caritas “Lerncafés” in two federal states where we also have locations. Every single success story of children and young people shows us how important, right and necessary it is to invest in education. It is a personal concern of mine to enable education and fair access to it, and thus to take the future into our own hands. This benefits young people, society and, in the long term, the economy. As a leading Austrian company, we see the promotion of “Lerncafés” as an important part of our multi-layered corporate social responsibility activities."

Herbert Beiglböck, Director of Caritas Styria, is pleased about the new partnership: "Infineon Austria is a successful company that sets standards in the future-oriented areas of innovation and development. We are therefore particularly grateful that the company supports us in encouraging young people in their talents. It is also about strengthening the childrens’ will to learn and develop themselves. After all, the economy needs young people who know their talents and can contribute their skills - regardless of whether they were born in Austria or immigrated from another country."

Three “Lerncafés”: support for 75 children and young people
In Villach, 30 children and young people attend the Infineon “Lerncafé” in Brauhausgasse, in Spittal there are 15 pupils in the “Lerncafé” in Litzelhofenstraße and 30 in Graz in the “Lerncafé” Lend in Mariengasse. In the three “Lerncafés”, a total of 47 volunteer learning assistants give the girls and boys confidence in their own abilities and thus a sense of joy in learning. In Villach, a total of seven Infineon employees volunteer as learning assistants in their free time. Despite the restrictions on school operations due to the Corona pandemic, the support could also be continued virtually.

Review Cooperation 2021: Education made possible for 90 children
With 60,000 euros, the Infineon Education Fund in Carinthia has supported the Infineon “Lerncafé” and the Spittal “Lerncafé” and thus 45 socially disadvantaged children and young people. In addition, from September 2020 to October 2021, financial support was provided for individual tutoring and attendance at kindergartens and after-school programs for a total of 45 children.

About the Caritas “Lerncafés”: Success rate 98 percent
The Caritas “Lerncafés” - 2,000 children and young people are supported in 62 facilities throughout Austria - are a real success project of Caritas Austria. In Carinthia, almost 99 percent of children and adolescents advanced to the next school level in the last school year; in Styria, the figure was 97 percent. 270 students currently attend the nine “Lerncafés” in Carinthia; 280 girls and boys in Styria. There are five “Lerncafés” in Graz, and one each in Leoben, Leibnitz, Knittelfeld and Mürzzuschlag. In Carinthia, Caritas offers tutoring in three “Lerncafés” in Klagenfurt. There are also two “Lerncafés” in Villach, and one each in St. Veit an der Glan, Spittal an der Drau, Wolfsberg and St. Gertraud in Lavanttal. The first “Lerncafé” in Austria opened in Graz in fall 2007. The “Lerncafés” in Carinthia have been in existence for ten years.

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.

Infineon Austria 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 4,820 employees from 73 countries (including 2,100 in research and development), in the financial year 2021 (ending in September) the company achieved a turnover of € 3.9 billion. With a research expenditure of 516 million euros, Infineon Austria is one of the strongest research companies in Austria.