Digital skills: Bludenz starts practical workshops for everyone!

Digital skills: Bludenz starts practical workshops for everyone!

In the digital world, it is becoming increasingly important for many people to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to act safely and confidently. The Bludenz Adult Education Center and the city of Bludenz come into play here and offer a series of practical workshops on digitalization. How bludenz.at reports, the “Digital Skills” lecture series aims to explain digital topics in an understandable way and reduce inhibitions. These workshops are aimed primarily at people who grew up in a digital world and feel insecure.

There are various topics on the agenda in the coming months. On October 14th and 21st, 2025 there will be a workshop on installing and using the ID Austria app for digital government services. Interested parties can also look forward to an overview of online purchases, form filling and data protection on November 18, 2025. The workshop “Artificial Intelligence – Opportunities and Risks” on December 2nd and 19th, 2025 will be particularly exciting, where speaker Gerhard Burtscher, MSc, will take a closer look at the advantages and challenges of AI. Registration is possible via the Bludenz Adult Education Center website: www.vhs-bludenz.at/digitale-competennen.

Risks in the digital space

Digitalization not only brings advantages, but also some dangers. According to a recent report by onlinesicherheit.gv.at Cybercriminals are increasingly using AI technologies to manipulate people and companies. The creation of high-quality deepfakes, for example for impersonation, is becoming easier and can have serious consequences. Companies are called upon to take proactive measures to protect themselves against cyberattacks and to raise awareness among their employees.

There are also reports of various scams in which AI plays a major role. This includes, for example, CEO fraud, in which leaders are imitated through fake videos or audios. A study found that over 51% of all spam emails are generated using AI, making it difficult to protect against phishing and other attacks.

European perspective

In order to master the digital challenges, the European Commission is providing significant resources. A total of 1.3 billion euros should flow into critical technologies, as shown germany.representation.ec.europa.eu is to be read. Particular attention is paid to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills. Vice-President Henna Virkkunen underlined the importance of these investments to ensure Europe's technological sovereignty.

The “Digital Europe” program aims to promote innovative approaches and strengthen the cyber resilience of critical infrastructures. The aim is not only to ensure the availability of generative AI in sectors such as health and care, but also to develop efficient digital public services. These measures are in line with the need to further develop digital education in EU educational institutions and create a trusted digital identity.

At a time when the use of digital tools is becoming increasingly crucial, the upcoming workshops in Bludenz are an important step in helping citizens navigate the internet safely and confidently.