Five years of ReDI NRW: skills, community and new possibilities

From a youth pilot in Duisburg-Marxloh to a community spanning North Rhine-Westphalia, ReDI School NRW has grown around a shared belief: everyone should have the opportunity to participate in the digital world. Our fifth-anniversary summit brought that belief to life through learner stories, community connections and conversations about a more inclusive future in AI.

On 8 October 2026, learners, alumni, volunteers, partners and local supporters came together at the Accenture Essen Innovation Hub to celebrate five years of ReDI NRW’s statewide programs. The summit offered space to reflect on what we have built together—and what comes next.

From one local classroom to opportunities across NRW

Our story began in late 2019, when ReDI planted its first seeds through a youth pilot in Duisburg-Marxloh. Unexpected pauses and changes of direction followed, but the commitment to opening up digital opportunities remained. By early 2021, that local initiative had grown into statewide operations for adult learners.

Since then, ReDI NRW has recorded 2.133 adult learning engagements across its programmes: 1.550 through the Digital Career Program and 583 through the Digital Women & Literacy offers. Each represents an opportunity to build skills, confidence and connections.

Takuya Furukawa, Head of ReDI School NRW

The Digital Career Program supports migrants and refugees in developing job-ready tech skills and finding their place in Germany’s digital economy. Our Digital Women & Literacy offers create a supportive space for learners, primarily FINTA*, to develop skills ranging from computer basics to marketing. Saturday childcare helps make participation possible for people balancing learning with caring responsibilities.

Our youth initiatives have also grown, from two local schools in Marxloh to six schools in Duisburg and two vocational colleges in Rhein-Erft-Kreis. Across these initiatives, we have recorded 7.161 pupil learning engagements, introducing young people to digital skills and new possibilities for their futures.

The people behind the numbers

The summit put the people behind these milestones at the centre. Community success stories offered a closer look at how access to learning, encouragement and a professional network can shape someone’s next step.

Exhibition stands created space to explore projects and meet the people behind them. Together with the networking sessions, they offered an opportunity for learners, volunteers and partners to exchange ideas and make new connections.

Who gets to shape the future of AI?

Celebrating our journey also meant looking ahead. As AI changes how we learn and work, digital inclusion must include opportunities to understand, use and help shape these technologies.

Two panel discussions on Women in AI brought this question into focus. We had the pleasure of having Céline Isabel Titz (REWE Group), Dalia Taha (Henkel), Hend El Damaty (AI Global), Hope Wilson (SAP), Hanna Schwab (Teccle Group), and Marissa Brown (Cisco Systems) as speakers. Dr. Anna Wittich (The Stepstone Group) contributed to share her insight report as well. Both panels formed part of a wider conversation about how ReDI NRW can help people from different backgrounds participate in the digital future.

ReDI NRW is taking this work forward through a new AI learning platform and accessible courses. The aim is to make AI learning available to people from all walks of life and help ensure that technological change opens up opportunities across NRW.

Explore IM AI on ReDI Campus

A community built together

None of this growth would have been possible without our volunteers and partners. Our records include 917 volunteer engagements, reflecting the time and expertise contributed by trainers and mentors across our courses.

Klöckner & Co SE supported the initial youth pilot in 2019. As ReDI NRW expanded its work with adult learners, Accenture, Microsoft and Henkel helped strengthen our career programmes and corporate volunteering. Support from the Postcode Lotterie, L’Oréal Fund for Women, Fondation Chanel, Hasso Plattner Foundation and Deutsche Fernsehlotterie has helped advance women’s empowerment, foundational literacy and digital accessibility.

The summit was an opportunity to thank this community, and to recognise the learners, alumni and ReDI team whose commitment continues to shape our work.

Help shape the next five years

Our next chapter will be shaped by the same community spirit that brought us here: people sharing knowledge, creating connections and making room for others to grow.

Whether you want to develop your digital skills, volunteer your expertise or explore a partnership, there is a place for you in the ReDI NRW community. Join us in creating more opportunities for people across North Rhine-Westphalia.

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