Shaping the Skill Agenda Together
Connecting the Soft Skill Dots in Upper Austria
Mapping, connecting and activating soft skill providers through ongoing dialogue.
Overview
What has been done
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria mapped, connected, and progressively activated a diverse ecosystem of soft skill providers across the region. We built a structured database of approximately 75 individuals from 30–40 organisations, including universities, schools, private training providers, creative organisations, and companies with internal academies, documenting existing collaborations and potential for future cooperation. Rather than staging large networking events, we deliberately created regular bilateral and small-group touchpoints, guided by the local principle "Durchs Reden kommen die Leute zusammen" (conversations bring people together). A recurring Stakeholder Dialogue Group brought together representatives from key institutions for joint reflection and consultation.
Why was it needed locally
In Upper Austria, a wide range of soft skill providers like educational institutions, training centres, creative hubs, HR consultants, and informal networks, operate largely in parallel, with little coordination or mutual awareness. There is no comprehensive overview of the regional ecosystem, making it difficult for providers to find complementary partners or for industries and policymakers to understand what is available. Competitive dynamics between organisations further discourage collaboration, even where shared goals and complementary services would make cooperation a natural fit.
Target Groups: How were they activated and their benefits
Vocational training centre – BFI, WIFI, KUPF Academy, Creative Region, private training providers in Upper Austria
Activation: Invited to our Stakeholder Dialogue Group and focus group sessions and existing events (e.g. 4×4 im 44er Haus); individually approached through bilateral conversations and the mapping process.
Benefit: Gained visibility within a broader regional network and discovered complementary partners for joint programme development. Received a platform to share their approaches and reflect on their practice with peers from other sectors.
University / college – JKU Linz, Kunstuniversität Linz (multiple departments), FH OÖ, IT:U
Activation: Engaged through cross-project occasions (x-Inno Pilots 1, 2, 3; DECORATOR; SACCORD), direct consultations, and invitations to relevant events.
Benefit: Connected with actors from creative industries, civil society, and vocational education they had not previously collaborated with. Contributed their expertise to a growing regional understanding of soft skill development.
Civil society association / NGO – KUPF OÖ, Otelo Cooperative, Handwerkshaus Bad Goisern
Activation: Approached directly through the mapping process and connected to education and business actors through facilitated introductions.
Benefit: Gained recognition as relevant soft skill providers within a regional ecosystem that had previously overlooked informal and cultural actors.
Chambers of commerce – WKOÖ
Activation: Included in Stakeholder Dialogue Group consultations; engaged through existing institutional relationships and joint events.
Benefit: Gained insight into the range of soft skill development offers available in the region, supporting their own advisory work with SMEs.
Resources Required
Staff
Stakeholder mapping, facilitation, editorial/communication, cross-project coordination
Space
No dedicated venue required; touchpoints took place in existing event locations (44er Haus Leonding, partner premises) and online.
Equipment
Spreadsheet-based mapping tool; standard communication and editorial tools for story production.
Budget
Small: below 2,000 €
Primary investment is staff time; event participation leveraged existing budgets from x-Inno Radar and parallel projects (SACCORD, DECORATOR).
Methods & Steps
Core Mechanism
Formats applied
Network / platform:
Creative Region built and continuously expanded a living network of soft skill providers across Upper Austria, mapping approximately 75 individuals from 30–40 organisations and connecting them through regular bilateral and small-group conversations. The network integrates actors from higher education, vocational training, creative industries, and business support who previously had little contact with each other.
Methods used: Relational Ecosystem Mapping: A structured database of soft skill providers is built through direct dialogue rather than desk research alone. Each conversation surfaces new actors, reveals collaboration potential, and builds the trust needed for future cooperation.Campaign:
A series of editorial stories ("Collaboration in Action") documents real partnerships between Upper Austrian organisations as concrete examples of cross-sector soft skill development. Published on Creative Regions channels, the stories serve as inspiration and evidence that collaboration between very different actors is possible.
Methods used: Editorial Storytelling Method: Existing collaborations are identified through the mapping process and transformed into short, readable stories. Each story highlights the soft skills developed, the type of collaboration, and the organisations involved.Matchmaking event:
A recurring Stakeholder Dialogue Group brings together representatives from key institutions, including universities, VET providers, and business support organisations, to reflect on collaboration potential and identify concrete next steps. Beyond dedicated sessions, participants are individually consulted and invited to relevant existing events.
Methods used: Stakeholder Dialogue Group Consultation: Small, recurring sessions with a mixed group of soft skill stakeholders create a safe space for honest exchange about needs, barriers, and opportunities. The format deliberately stays flexible – sometimes a formal session, sometimes a targeted one-on-one conversation.Steps taken
Mapping the ecosystem
Q2 2025 - Q2 2026
- Stakeholder identification: Desk research and network outreach to identify soft skill providers across sectors
- Database build-up: Structured spreadsheet capturing ~75 individuals / 30–40 organisations with profiles, contacts, and cooperation data
- Categorisation: Actors sorted by type and thematic focus to reveal gaps and overlaps in the ecosystem
Building relationships through dialogue
Q4 2025 - (ongoing)
- Bilateral conversations: Direct one-on-one exchanges with mapped actors to understand needs and openness to collaboration
- Small-group touchpoints: Facilitated conversations between 2 to 4 actors with complementary profiles
- Event integration: Leveraged existing occasions (4×4 im 44er Haus, cross-project events) as natural connectors
Stakeholder Dialogue Group consultations
Q3 2025 - Q2 2026
- Dedicated sessions: Stakeholder Dialogue Group meetings with representatives from JKU, Kunstuni, FH OÖ, FH Hagenberg, WKOÖ, company academies
- Individual consultations: Targeted one-on-one exchanges with key actors between group sessions
- Gap and barrier analysis: Identifying where collaboration is most wanted and what prevents it
Documenting good practices
Q4 2025 – Q2 2026
- Story production: Editorial "Collaboration in Action" stories documenting real cross-sector partnerships (e.g. KUPF & BFI)
- Publication: Stories published on Creative Regions channels, collected in an umbrella overview post
- Inspiration function: Stories serve as evidence and motivation for other actors to consider collaboration
Building towards a Regional Skills Network
Q2 - Q3 2026
- Mini-mapping publication: Curated public version of the database to increase ecosystem visibility
- Network formalisation: Bringing key actors together in a sustainable Regional Skills Network format
- Strategic anchoring: Positioning the network as basis for future funding applications and regional policy input
Results
Measurable and Direct Outcomes
The local action brought about the following concrete results:
- Stakeholder awareness / network extensions: A living database of approximately 75 individuals from 30–40 organisations now maps the soft skill provider landscape in Upper Austria for the first time. Key actors from higher education, VET, creative industries, and business support have been identified, contacted, and connected – many of whom had no prior awareness of each other.
- New / enhanced cooperation: Concrete new relationships between previously unconnected actors have been initiated through bilateral conversations, Stakeholder Dialogue Group sessions, and cross-project occasions. Several actors have begun exploring joint formats and shared activities as a direct result of these connections.
- Publications: A series of editorial stories ("Collaboration in Action") documents real cross-sector partnerships in Upper Austria as replicable good practice examples. A curated public mini-version of the mapping is planned for publication, alongside an umbrella overview post collecting all stories.
Indirect Impacts
The pilot has positioned Creative Region as a trusted broker between actors who rarely interact, feeding into the organisation's long-term regional mission. By making the soft skill ecosystem visible for the first time, it has increased both confidence and openness to collaboration among providers. The groundwork laid supports a planned Regional Skills Network, an enduring structure for soft skill stakeholder cooperation and a basis for future funding.
Local Outlook / Follow-up
- Regional Skills Network: Creative Region intends to formalise the network of soft skill providers into a Regional Skills Network, a recurring, structured space for exchange, co-creation, and joint advocacy. This structure is also planned as a basis for future EU funding applications.
- Public mini-mapping: A curated, publicly accessible version of the ecosystem database will be published, making the soft skill provider landscape in Upper Austria visible and navigable for industries, policymakers, and the organisations themselves.
- Completing the "Collaboration in Action" story series: The remaining 3 to 4 editorial stories will be finalised and published, with an umbrella overview post collecting all examples. The series will serve as ongoing inspiration and evidence that cross-sector collaboration on soft skills is possible and impactful.
- Integration into regional soft skill strategy: The mapping, the network, and the documented good practices will feed into Upper Austria's regional action plan as part of the x-Inno Radar strategy phase, contributing to long-term policy recommendations on soft skill development in non-metropolitan industrial regions.
Evaluation
Satisfaction - Overview
Satisfaction was assessed qualitatively through direct feedback in conversations and Stakeholder Dialogue Group exchanges. Actors appreciated the low-barrier, dialogue-based approach, describing bilateral conversations as more useful than large events for identifying collaboration potential. A recurring theme was the desire for continuity, confirming the direction towards a Regional Skills Network.
Satisfaction - Details
- Preference for depth over scale: Actors consistently preferred small, targeted conversations over large events – validating the core design choice of the pilot. Several participants noted this format helped them have conversations they "had been meaning to have for years."
- Openness to formalisation: Multiple actors from higher education and VET expressed interest in a more structured, ongoing format for exchange, spontaneously raising the idea of a regular network or working group. This unsolicited feedback directly supports the planned Regional Skills Network.
Transfer Hints
- Start with dialogue, not events: Bilateral and small-group conversations build more trust and surface more collaboration potential than large networking events. Invest in regular, low-barrier touchpoints before designing any formal format.
- Map the invisible: Don't limit your mapping to obvious, formal providers. Hidden actors like cultural organisations, informal networks, freelance coaches are often the most innovative and underutilised nodes in the ecosystem.
- Embed into existing occasions: Use events and activities already happening in your region as natural connectors. This saves resources and feels less artificial to participants than purpose-built formats.
- Let the network grow organically: Allow the mapping to be a living document. New actors emerge through every conversation, build in flexibility to keep expanding rather than closing the list early.
- Format of documentation: The "Collaboration in Action" story format works well for our context, but any format that makes good practices visible and shareable will serve the same purpose, using videos, case cards, or a simple web directory.
- Focus of mapping: We focused on soft skill providers broadly; other regions might narrow the scope to a specific sector, skill area, or geographic sub-region depending on local needs and resources.
- Degree of formalisation: A Regional Skills Network works for our context, but the network structure can remain lighter: a mailing list, a shared calendar, or a recurring informal gathering may be enough in other settings.
- Don't start with a big event: A large launch event creates the illusion of a network without building one. Trust and collaboration potential emerge from repeated, smaller interactions, not from a single occasion.
- Don't publish the full mapping prematurely: A comprehensive internal database is a working tool, not a public directory. Publishing it too early, before actors have consented and relationships are established, can undermine trust.
- Don't underestimate competitive dynamics: Soft skill providers often see each other as competitors. Acknowledge this openly rather than assuming goodwill, and design formats that make cooperation feel safe and mutually beneficial.
Participant Testimonials & Impressions
Impressions
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Access the complete implementation guide and connect with the team
Contact: Gisa Schosswohl
Email: gisa@into-projects.com
Need more information?
Project manager:
Franziska Görmar
IfL - Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Germany
Email
This project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund.
Find more information about the x-Inno Radar project on the Interreg CE projectwebsite.
x-Inno Radar is a project of: 
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria Gmbh, 
The Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Karlovy Vary Region, 
Padova Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture, 
Creative Industry Košice, n. o., 
BSC, Business support centre, ltd., Kranj, 
Regional Development Agency in Bielsko-Biała, 
Stebo Competence Centre Community Developmentm, 
Association of Cultural and Creative Industries Chemnitz and Region (Creative Chemnitz), Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography – Germany, Otelo Cooperative