Education and work

The participating specialists perceive a major role for broadband Internet in supporting Germany's development into a future-capable information society. More than 80% of all experts at public institutions view the broadband Internet to a high or very high degree as an engine for this development (Fig. 34).

Almost 60% of participating experts also believed that the widespread diffusion of broadband Internet was creating strong pressure for change, not just in government and the business world, but also in the private environment. More than 40% even viewed broadband Internet applications as a factor that would intensify the level of citizen involvement in government decision-making.

Figure 34:		Social significance of broadband Internet (experts from public institutions)

One area of daily life that is particularly strongly affected by the diffusion of broadband Internet is work. The availability of broadband Internet access is increasingly promoting the number of telecommuting opportunities. 50% of the experts at public institutions anticipate that the increasing availability of broadband Internet access will lead to a higher percentage of telecommuting jobs through the year 2015. More than 56% of respondents agreed to a high or very high extent with the statement that telecommuting jobs improved employees' sense of motivation and contentment.

Telecommuting has the strongest - and, based on Germany's demographic trends, perhaps most significant - influence on the compatibility of career and family. More that 81% of experts are of the opinion that the temporal and spatial flexibility offered by telecommuting exerts a positive influence. Viewed from this angle, broadband Internet becomes a tool to help manage the much-invoked work-life balance. As a result it should come as no surprise that experts from public institutions predict an increase in the share of telecommuting jobs (Fig. 35).

Whereas the percentage of telecommuting jobs within Germany's labor market as a whole was only 6% in 2004, this percentage is expected to go up almost 50% to reach 8.8% by the year 2010. By 2015 the figures for 2004 are expected to double, leading to a projected share for telecommuting jobs of just under 12%.

Figure 35:		Share of telecommuting jobs in overall number of jobs in Germany (experts from public institutions)10

The influence of the broadband Internet is however not restricted to just helping create new telecommuting jobs. The significance of e-learning will also increase sharply. The strongest impact of this trend will again be experienced by the working world. More than 60% of the experts surveyed anticipate a significant role for e-learning in industrial and corporate further education by the year 2010. This figure goes up to over 80% if the year 2015 is taken.

The impact of e-learning on the educational sector, i.e. at schools and universities, is expected to go up sharply. If just under 40% of today's experts anticipate a high or very high degree of significance for e-learning in the education sector by the year 2010, for 2015 this share almost doubles to reach 71%.

Figure 36:		Future significance of e-learning applications (experts from public institutions)

In closing it can be said that the penetration of broadband Internet into the sectors of education and work is tied up with some fundamental changes, representing both an opportunity and a challenge.