2010-26-04 – How much Education does the Specialist Require?

Vienna, 26th April, 2010 – The VZI (the Association of Austrian Professional Engineering Companies), together with the Chambers of Architects for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland and the Chambers of Engineers plans to discuss these four future-oriented topics as a means of drawing up proposals for politicians. At the opening event in the Domed Hall of the Technical University in Vienna Professor Peter Skalicky, Rector of the TU, Professor Bijan Amini and Professor Rudolf Taschner joined the CEO of ATP, Professor Christoph M. Achammer, in a series of double-headed discussions chaired by Gerfried Sperl.

Achammer called for a more intensive exchange between professors and students – although the current ratio of teachers to students of 1:30 made this almost impossible – while noting that one could not expect the 18 year old student to know exactly what learning was necessary for his future. In this, he contradicted the view of Rector Skalicky, who stated that it is the responsibility of students to know what they want and that the current offer from the university system was relatively comprehensive.

Professor Amini cited the importance of developing among students – via voluntary lecture courses – such general abilities as communication skills and crisis management while the priority of Professor Taschner was to improve the quality of professors. This was, however, met by the general response that this will only be made possible by a rise in tuition fees.

All four speakers criticised the Bologna process as focussing on equality of choice – with the inevitably consequence of downgrading. This acts against the interests of individuality and makes it difficult for universities to distinguish themselves. And another result seems to be a tendency amongst students towards reduced mobility – because the courses on offer are harder to distinguish from one another.