Infineon Austria expands its cooperation with Caritas Learning Cafés in Carinthia and Styria and supports four Caritas Learning Cafés with 105,000 euros in 2023

Graz, Villach, 25 January 2023 - What do Hadi (10 years) from Graz, Anela (9 years) from Mürzzuschlag, Elif (10 years) from Villach, Günter (9 years) from Spittal an der Drau and Infineon have in common? They are all enthusiastic that the Caritas Learning Cafés exist. Because here, compulsory school pupils with and without a migration background aged between six and 15 are given the opportunity to do homework with voluntary learning assistants and to study for upcoming tests and schoolwork - free of charge. The terrible war in Ukraine has torn many children and young people away from their everyday lives. Here, too, the Caritas Learning Cafés are currently proving to be important anchor points and offer a stable environment. Infineon Austria has been supporting the Learning Cafés with the Infineon Education Fund since 2020 and has been continuously expanding the cooperation. In addition, Infineon employees are involved as volunteer learning assistants.

Infineon Austria extends cooperation to Mürzzuschlag in 2023
Infineon Austria will support four Caritas Learning Cafés in Carinthia and Styria with a total of 105,000 euros in 2023, thus contributing to the promotion of school education for disadvantaged children and young people living in poverty.
Two Learning Cafés in Carinthia are supported with a total of 60,000 euros per year. The Caritas Learning Café Infineon in Villach receives 45,000 euros per year to fully fund learning assistance and tutoring, while the Learning Café in Spittal an der Drau receives 15,000 euros per year.
Starting this year, Infineon Austria is expanding its cooperation with Caritas Styria, which, like its "sister" in Carinthia, operates nine learning cafés, and, in addition to the Lend Learning Café in Graz, has been supporting the Learning Café in Mürzzuschlag with 15,000 euros per year, thus ensuring its continued existence.

Oliver Heinrich, CFO Infineon Technologies Austria AG: "I am very pleased that we are expanding our cooperation. I have experienced the joy and enthusiasm of the children during several visits to the Learning Cafés. And we know from discussions with Caritas how long the waiting lists for the Learning Cafés are. Here we can support directly, because every success story of children and young people shows how important, right and necessary investment in the key topic of education is. It is a personal concern of mine to provide education and fair access to it. Young people, society and, in the long term, the economy benefit from this support."

Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler, Director of Caritas Styria, is pleased about the expansion of the cooperation: "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 promoting the talents of young people. It's also about strengthening children's 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 came here from another country."

Four Learning Cafés: Support for over 110 children and young people
In Villach, 30 children and young people attend the Infineon Learning Café in Brauhausgasse, and in Spittal, 15 students attend the Learning Café in Litzelhofenstraße. In Graz, 29 students attend the Lend Learning Café in Mariengasse, and in Mürzzuschlag in Wienerstraße there are currently as many as 42 children. In the four Learning Cafés, a total of 68 volunteer learning assistants give the girls and boys confidence in their own abilities and thus a sense of joy in learning. In these learning cafés, 9 current or former Infineon employees are involved as learning assistants.

Ernst Sandriesser, Director of Caritas Carinthia, thanks Infineon Austria: "The company has already been supporting Caritas' innovative educational work for young people since 2020. Infineon's commitment enables us to provide intensive educational support for 45 children in the two Learning Cafés in Villach and in Spittal an der Drau. In this way, economically disadvantaged children in particular have the opportunity of good support on their educational path. Education is the best way to prevent poverty and therefore we must not leave any child behind. Today's children are the pillars of tomorrow's society."

Caritas Learning Cafés with a success rate of 98 percent
The Caritas Learning Cafés - 2,100 children and young people are supported in 66 facilities throughout Austria - are a real success project of Caritas Austria. In Carinthia, 99 percent of children and adolescents advanced to the next school level in the last school year; in Styria, the figure was 97 percent. 252 students currently attend the nine Learning Cafés in Carinthia; 280 girls and boys in Styria. There are five Learning Cafés in Graz, and one each in Leoben, Leibnitz, Knittelfeld and Mürzzuschlag. In Carinthia, Caritas offers tutoring in three Learning Cafés in Klagenfurt. There are also two Learning Cafés in Villach, and one each in St. Veit an der Glan, Spittal an der Drau, Wolfsberg and St. Gertraud in Lavanttal. The first Learning Café in Austria opened in Graz in the fall of 2007. The Learning Cafés in Carinthia have been in existence for eleven 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 5,461 employees from 79 countries (including 2,390 in research and development), in the financial year 2022 (ending in September) the company achieved a turnover of € 5.2 billion. With a research expenditure of 585 million euros, Infineon Austria is one of the strongest research companies in Austria.