If 42 had existed in the 1980s... I would have studied there

Achim Berg, Bitkom President and member of the Advisory Board of 42 Heilbronn, is one of the most renowned experts and admonishers of the German IT landscape. A conversation about digital illiteracy in Germany, the potential of coding schools and how his academic career might have been different today.

You complain about digital illiteracy in Germany. Is it really that bad?

Unfortunately, yes. A quarter of Germans are unable to use technical devices such as smartphones or computers properly - not to mention the ability to carry out targeted research on the Internet or install new programs on their own devices. This also has a lot to do with a lack of interest in IT. In our country, the proportion of IT graduates is less than 5 percent. This is despite the fact that IT offers answers to the major challenges of our time - whether climate protection, cyber security or healthcare. Talking heads now point out that we are a tad better than the EU average. But that cannot and must not be our claim! Romania has an IT rate of over 6%, Estonia even 8%.

What are the main reasons for this?

If too few young people are interested in studying IT and there is a lack of essential IT skills, then we inevitably have to look to the schools. We have been discussing digitalization for two decades, but teaching is still the same today as it was fifty years ago. There is a lack of digital infrastructure, a lack of content and a lack of suitably qualified staff. Even though there is enough money! With the Digital Pact for Schools, the federal government has made six billion euros available since 2019, but only a fraction of this has been spent so far. The reason for this is often a crazy bureaucracy that even the most committed teachers despair of. Incidentally, there is growing resentment about this: for three out of four parents, the digitalization of schools is progressing too slowly or far too slowly. With this digital apathy in many classrooms, it's no wonder that young people don't think: “Hey, I'm studying IT because I can make the world a better place”!

What dangers does this pose for Germany?

65% of companies describe the lack of IT specialists as a massive brake on digital transformation. They simply cannot find software specialists, IT project managers, experts for big data and much more. This means that Germany is falling further behind in key future fields and leaving the digital shaping of our future world to big players such as the USA and China, as well as smart countries such as Singapore. If we don't take countermeasures as quickly as possible, core industries such as manufacturing, automotive engineering and the banking sector will face real problems, not to mention our innovative SMEs.

But it is about far more than just economic aspects. As I said, we can only solve major problems with IT. In addition, e-government is essential to maintain the state's ability to act, especially in times of crisis such as the current one. This makes it all the more alarming that Germany is stuck in the bottom third of European countries in this area, lagging behind nations such as Denmark, Estonia and Portugal and only just ahead of Slovakia and Bulgaria.

What needs to be done?

We must finally generate the enthusiasm for IT that it deserves. To counteract the shortage of IT specialists in the short term, practical coding school and bootcamp courses are incredibly important. I have high hopes for career changers, people who are not happy with their current jobs and want to do something new. At this point, companies and universities also need to rethink and adapt to slightly different CVs.

Which brings us to 42...

Absolutely right! I've been following 42 since it was founded in Paris. It's fascinating to see what is developing at such a crazy pace around the world. The concept appeals to people who might never have opted for a traditional IT degree course. Be it because they lack the formal prerequisites or because they have little desire to receive knowledge from the catheters of time-honored universities - without wanting to deny the quality of traditional universities.

So 42 is supposed to open up new resources?

That's far too simplistic! Yes, 42 provides a fantastic low-threshold offer to get professionally fit for IT professions. But the concept goes far beyond that. I have never seen a university where students learn to code with such passion. In my opinion, three things are essential for this: firstly, they feel a sense of personal responsibility from day one. There is no professor chewing their cud. Secondly, 42 places an extremely high value on collaboration. This is not a given in the IT sector and creates a very special team spirit. Thirdly, 42 constantly confronts its students with really difficult tasks, which they master together - these successes motivate them.

And it is from this very special environment that something really new emerges. I hope for nothing less from the graduates than that they solve familiar problems with new approaches in an innovative way.

Does that also apply to 42 Heilbronn?

Absolutely! I sense a crazy spirit of optimism here. The people I've met here are bursting with creativity and the joy of coding. The standard is above average. Just last week I had an intensive discussion with a very successful start-up team of founders who are very interested in 42 Heilbronn - they find the approach extremely exciting and also see an excellent opportunity for their company to attract talent. In short: 42 Heilbronn enriches the German IT scene enormously. If there had been such an offer back in the mid-1980s... I would have been there!