In collaboration with partners from the business community, “Teach For Austria” places inspiring role models where they are most needed: in schools facing challenging circumstances. The aim is to empower young people there, show them new horizons and give them the courage to move forward. After all, often a single encounter is enough to open up new possibilities. It was precisely such an encounter that took place recently at MS Münichholz in Steyr.
A special day in the classroom with an extraordinary guest
As Herbert Auer, CEO of Anteilsverwaltung Sparkasse OÖ, enters the classroom, it suddenly falls silent. A successful figure from the banking world stands before the young people. This time, however, not in the meeting room, but right in front of the blackboard. For Herbert Auer, the change of role was a first. Instead of figures and client appointments, the focus this time was on questions from the young people. And they didn’t take long to come: How much does an apprentice earn? What does a board member actually do all day? Where is all the money in a bank kept? And do you need artificial intelligence for that?
What begins with cautious reserve quickly develops into an open exchange on equal terms. The young people discuss money, career opportunities and their own plans for the future.
Background must not determine opportunities
However, the background to the visit is far more serious than the relaxed atmosphere might suggest. Educational and career opportunities in Austria still depend heavily on one’s social background. “Where you come from should not determine where you go” is the central message of the visit, and it runs through the entire morning. Herbert Auer makes it clear that professional success must not be a question of background. What matters, he says, is knowledge, commitment and motivation.
This message rings particularly true because Auer himself did not follow a straightforward path to the elite. His career, too, began at a secondary school. Through role models, curiosity and belief in his own abilities, he worked his way up step by step.
An answer that sticks
One of the most moving moments occurs when a pupil suddenly asks: “Can we achieve something like that too, Mr Auer?” The answer comes without hesitation: “Yes, you can. For your future life, hardly anything is as important as a good education. And with ambition, courage and perseverance, even big goals can be achieved,” says Auer.
It is precisely moments like these that show why brilliant initiatives such as “Teach For Austria” are so important. They create encounters that inspire and convey to young people that they, too, hold their future in their own hands.
