Shaping the Skill Agenda Together
Connecting the Soft Skill Dots in Veneto
Signature of a memorandum of understanding to support the growth and awareness of digital skills
Overview
What has been done
Scouting initiative aimed at soft skills providers interested in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance soft skills at the regional level.
The objective of this initiative is to identify actions and best practices designed to promote soft skills locally, recognizing them as strategic competencies for the competitive advancement of society.
The MoU aims to outline concrete actions that providers can implement either locally or collaboratively. The ultimate goal is to foster a culture that embraces soft skills as key competencies for building a more competitive, inclusive, and human-centric professional society, setting a benchmark for future local and European policies.
Why was it needed locally
Although the Veneto region is highly focused on technology and cross-cutting skills, and boasts numerous initiatives and organizations offering training and support, it still lacks a clear strategy for soft skills development.
By creating a network of local providers—easily identifiable through an interactive map—this initiative has a twofold objective:
On the one hand, to spark interest, particularly among young grassroots makers and startup founders, in the potential offered by soft and transversal skills.
On the other hand, to lay the groundwork for joint regional actions aimed at promoting skills development across all spheres of economic and social life.
Target Groups: How were they activated and their benefits
Business incubator / co-working space – Laborius, Galileo Visionary District
Activation: An open call was launched to attract all those entities who works in strict relation with soft skills in Veneto Region, offering them training and networking opportunities
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Open call via social media
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promotion through newsletters
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Direct phone calls
Benefit: The business incubators had the chance to know each other activities and objectives and they will have the opportunity to cooperate and to build a stronger network, attracting more users or new potential clients/SMEs
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Participation to an active network
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Visibility
University / college – University of Padova, Alumni association of the University of Padua
Activation: The University of Padua has been directly contacted by the Partner to ask for their participation in the activity
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Direct phone call
Benefit: Universities can benefit from the new relation they can build with soft skills provider and potential trainers
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Participation to active network on soft skills
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Visibility
Other SME – Professionals and Agencies
Activation: An open call was launched to attract all those entities who works in strict relation with soft skills in Veneto Region, offering them training and networking opportunities
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Open Call through social networks
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Dedicated newsletter
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Direct phone call
Benefit: Professionals, entrepreneurs and different agencies will gain visibility at regional level and will be able to cooperate with other agencies or bodies for the provision of well structured services to new potential users/students
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Visibility
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Development of new activities
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Attraction of new customers
Resources Required
Staff
competences, creative and digital methodology and techniques, access to maker communities, business plan development, mentoring capability
Space
Galileo Visionary District: seminar rooms + auditorium
Equipment
laptop, projector, conference facilities, stationery
Budget
Medium: 2-10,000 €
Budget of around 10000€ covering planning, promotion, venue, staff, equipment, trainers fees,
production of media elements for the dissemination
Methods & Steps
Core Mechanism
Formats applied
Open lab:
Associations, professionals and soft skills providers were involved in 2 sessions of cooperative open lab to identify the main soft skills and activities to be included in the contents of the Memorandum of Understanding
Methods used: Design thinking: Through 5 steps the Design Thinking methodology, participants were asked to understand the regional environment and the state of the art of innovation and soft skills (Empathize); identify the problems or the situation to be addressed (Define); brainstorm ideas to reach a suitable solution (Ideate); draft the contents of the Memorandum (Prototype). This text will be then approved and promoted through institutional social channels (Test)Steps taken
Promotion of the activity
1 month
- Public call: Publication of an open call for regional soft skills providers to
participate to the activity, explaining the concept and the steps of the activity. Link to the google form for the registration - Newsletter and web promotion: Publication of posts and news promoting the public call on institutional websites, social channels and dedicated newsletters
Drafting of the Memorandum of Understanding
8 hours / 2 half days
- Online collaborative lab: The first online event aimed at introductions and participating in a partial analysis of the memorandum options
- In presence collaborative lab: The second lab in presence was aimed at defining the terms to be agreed upon in the Memorandum of Understanding through the design thinking methodology
Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding
4 hours / 1 half day
- Final revision of the Memorandum of Understanding: Soft skills providers were asked to revise and to finalize the text of the Memorandum.
- Formal signature of the Memorandum of Understanding: On the occasion of the public award of activity 2b Boots for Roots, soft skills provider committed themselves and formally signed the Memorandum of Understanding
Results
Measurable and Direct Outcomes
The local action brought about the following concrete results:
- New / enhanced cooperation: The pilot activity gives the opportunity to local soft skills provider to know each other and to cooperate together, sharing ideas and experiences and committing for improving the value of soft skills in the regional system
Indirect Impacts
Private organization and SMEs, territorial and local bodies and citizens will benefit from this pilot activity,as the memorandum of understanding foresees the following activities to be implemented in Veneto Region to enhance the awareness of soft skills:
- Awareness Raising activities
- Promotional Actions (Visibility and Networking)
- New Ways to Talk About Soft Skills (Art and Innovation)
- Event Creation (Soft skills festival, soft skills award...)
Local Outlook / Follow-up
- 2 years lasting of the Memorandum of Understanding: The memorandum binds the signatories to cooperate for at least 2 years in carrying out the foreseen activities to the benefit of the local and regional territory."
- Integrate the Soft skills network with new parties: The memorandum, its benefit and the activities will be promoted for enlarging the soft skills provider networks, inviting new subjects to join the net
Evaluation
Satisfaction - Overview
Local skills providers showed lot of enthusiasm in the drafting of the Memorandum of Understanding, and they enjoyed a lot the opportunity to work together with the design thinking methodology. They also were very engaged when deciding the type of activity to foresee in the Veneto Region for enhancing the awareness of soft skills at local level.
They also formed part of the jury of activity 2b and they were very engaged and eager to discover new possible talents and opportunities for networking
Satisfaction - Details
- 13 soft skills provider built the Regional network: By answering the public open call and participating in the activities, soft skills providers involved layd the groundwork for a regional net of soft skills provider. This new network will be promoted and will be an easy accesso to soft and transversal skills in the Veneto Region
- 1 Memorandum of Understanding signed: The Memorandum aims to establish a network of organizations, companies, and professionals committed to: Defining shared standards for the identification and enhancement of soft skills; Creating synergies among the academic, professional, and business worlds to foster regional innovation
Transfer Hints
- Collaborative open lab: 2 opportunities to work together online and in presence, guided by a well defined methodology for clearly identifying the objective and the contents of document to be drafted
- Interaction with other pilot activities: Soft skills provider were eager to participate as jury in the hackaton award competition: this helps them enhancing visibility and reputation also in front of new potential users
- Customization of Memorandum contents: According to the specific background and local environment, the activities and the ideas presented in the memorandum of understanding can vary
- Customization of the Target of the Network: The same structure (open call, collaborative lab, memorandum) can be applied to other sensitive topics in the local economic environment where a stronger cooperation among local partners is needed
- Lack of promotional activities: Begin participant recruitment at least one or two months in advance of the scheduled activities
- Waning participant interest during the activity: Provide a detailed overview of the activity at the beginning, highlighting that active involvement from all participants is essential for reaching optimal outcomes.
Participant Testimonials & Impressions
Impressions
Replicate This Application?
Access the complete implementation guide and connect with the team
Contact: Luisa Previati
Phone: 3420711765
Email: luisa.previati@vepromex.it
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