Just in time for the start of the new school year, the Vienna Stock Exchange is offering new teaching materials for students at secondary level I commencing today. Wiener Börse, together with around 50 other national stakeholders, is thus contributing its expertise to the implementation of the National Financial Literacy Strategy of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF). The range of courses and seminars offered by the Vienna Stock Exchange Academy is expanded by six new seminars. Especially in volatile market situations, it becomes clear that financial knowledge is the best investor protection and pays off.
A self-determined financial future
Under the name "börse4beginners", learning content is provided for interested teaching staff in the form of e-books for browsers or mobile, as PDFs or as a print product free of charge and without registration. The content can be elaborated independently both in the classroom and by the learners themselves, and the tasks can be solved interactively. In addition, a board game is offered that connects the analog (physical game board) with the digital (action cards retrievable via QR code) world. In addition, work tasks and a crossword puzzle help to consolidate what has been learned.
"The börse4beginners materials show pupils how markets work, what publicly traded companies are, and pose questions about their financial future. Through the board game with digital action cards, fun is not neglected either," says Gerald Fröhlich from IFTE.at. "In line with the upcoming reform of the secondary school curriculum (level I), Wiener Börse provides teachers with teaching materials concerning the stock market and capital markets," adds Johannes Lindner from the Center for Entrepreneurship Education and Value-Based Business Didactics at KPH Vienna/Krems. The two education experts were responsible for the design and didactic preparation of the module.
The new materials tap into the important target group of students at secondary level I. For the secondary level II (AHS and BMHS), the so-called "börse4me" materials are already available, which were supplemented last year by a sixth module with a sustainability focus. The materials are part of the National Financial Literacy Strategy, which was presented in the fall of 2021 and aims to increase awareness, financial literacy and understanding in the field of financial education in Austria.
Wiener Börse Akademie expands range of topics
There are also new developments in the variety of seminars offered to adults. A three-month course (in German) on value investing for investors with a long-term investment focus, which is already fully booked, will start these days at the Wiener Börse Akademie. The training concludes with a certificate examination. The next date for this course and the new seminar program for 2023 are already available. The mix of face-to-face and digital teaching units will be continued due to the positive experience in recent years. New additions to the program include topics such as another seminar on cryptocurrencies, dividend strategies, and a focus on the U.S. market. With more than 1,000 attendees per year and over 30 different seminar topics, the Wiener Börse Akademie, which runs in cooperation with WIFI Vienna, is the largest stock exchange seminar provider in Austria. The continuing high level of interest as well as the demand in the area of financial knowledge confirm the expansion of the already broad education offering of the Vienna Stock Exchange.