This research full paper is concerned with the question, in how far advanced pre-service teachers at the University of Vienna feel ‘fit’ to mediate digital skills as part of their instruction at secondary levels K5–K8. While the digital transformation is progressing rapidly, digital skills have become indispensable for all stakeholders in the educational field. To address this issue, we composed an online questionnaire consisting of closed- and open-ended questions. It was distributed among 4,054 students of the teacher education degree program and generated 322 full responses. In the survey, the students were asked to state their opinion on the integration of digital competencies in their attended teacher education degree program and how to improve it. With the use of qualitative content analysis (QCA), we analyzed which competencies and tools they missed the most in their studies or had to acquire on their own. The results of this mixed methods study indicate a lack of essential digital skills in the studies of most students, and that they feel a lack of preparation for the challenges to come as a teacher in the modern world. Moreover, most students agree that they had to acquire more than 75% of the required digital competencies on their own and pointed out the skills and tools they required the most throughout their study program or during their work as a teacher. Yet, some students report good practices in use in elective courses and in courses of various subject didactics. The paper provides a short overview of which digital competencies students wish most to be covered in their studies, including a truly professional handling of MS Teams and other tools such as learning apps, response systems, and tools for issuing learning materials and quizzes. As much as we value students’ capacities for self-learning in the digital sphere, we conclude with implications for a thoughtful integration of digital skills in teacher education programs to optimally prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges.

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