Viennese students develop innovative timetable app whatsnext EDU!

Viennese students develop innovative timetable app whatsnext EDU!

In an exciting project, students at Schopenhauerstrasse Middle School developed their own timetable app called “whatsnext EDU”. The presentation of the innovative app took place in the ballroom of the office building at Martinstrasse 100 and aroused the interest of many people present. Inspired by other schools that had successfully founded businesses, it was Martin Rinnhofer, the class president of 3B, who brought this creative idea to life and motivated the students to take part in this project. They received support from Stevan Borozan, a consultant at Deloitte Austria, who accompanied them throughout the entire development process.

The “Jump” project, which was initiated in collaboration with Teach For Austria and Deloitte, aims to give young people an entry into professional life. Borozan worked for two school hours every two weeks with the students, who worked in groups to undertake various tasks, including logo design and programming. What is particularly noteworthy is that 14-year-old Reem took on the role of CEO of the project, which required her not only responsibility but also some leadership skills.

Innovative solutions for students

The students were creative and, in addition to the app, also developed advertising videos to promote their creation. This app, which is intended to be known throughout Vienna, stands out from other timetable apps because it is specifically tailored to the needs of your peers. Functions such as switching to dark mode and an individual logo design were particularly important to the young developers in order to optimize the user experience. Currently “whatsnext EDU” is only available for Apple users, but an Android version is already being planned.

A particularly nice result of this initiative is the connection between school and business. Teach For Austria's volunteering program brings employees from partner companies such as Deloitte and Bank Austria UniCredit into schools to support socio-economically disadvantaged students. The volunteers work on educational formats that are tailored to the specific needs of the students and promote equal opportunities. In this way, young people can benefit from valuable support that gives them insights into the world of work and supports them in their future career orientation.

Career orientation at school

The topic of career orientation is of great importance for many young people. Even at school, they ask themselves many questions about choosing a career. The career orientation program (BOP), which was launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 2008, offers numerous support measures. The core components are potential analysis and practice-oriented days in which students get to know different professional fields. Such programs are available in all federal states and help young people make informed decisions about their professional future.

The interaction between the development of the “whatsnext EDU” app and the supporting programs of Teach For Austria as well as the BOP measures makes it clear how important it is to offer young people a practical and opportunity-rich training. The commitment of the students at Schopenhauerstrasse Middle School, supported by experienced partners, is an excellent example of how creative ideas and practical applications can come together to promote the talents of young people.

As the project continues and the app develops, it will be exciting to see how the students will continue to implement innovative ideas and prepare for their careers. The future looks promising!

You can find more information about the development of the app in the article by meinkreis.at. Details about the volunteering program can be found on the website Teach For Austria read up. Further information on career orientation is available bildungsketten.de.