When the Austrian pilot phase of UNITE launched in November 2025, we expected many things to be challenging. One thing we had not fully anticipated was simply finding the right people to reach.
Die Berater’s day-to-day work happens largely within the AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice) context, supporting people who are registered as jobseekers. UNITE, however, is meant for a much broader group: any person who fled Ukraine and is looking to build a professional future in Austria, whether or not they are currently registered with the AMS. Many people who could benefit most from coaching, mentoring, and learning support are simply not visible through the usual channels — they may not yet be job-seeking, may be occupied with childcare or family responsibilities, or may not know that a programme like UNITE exists at all.
So, in the early weeks of the pilot, much of our energy went into something that happens behind the scenes of any project: building relationships. We reached out to a wide range of stakeholders — community organisations, integration initiatives, language schools, and informal networks within the Ukrainian community in Austria — to make sure that UNITE becomes visible and accessible to everyone who could benefit from it, not only to those already in contact with employment services. This is particularly important because UNITE, thanks to its EU funding, is entirely free of charge for participants.
As the first participants joined the programme, another lesson quickly became clear: the topics people bring with them vary enormously. Some arrive wanting to know precisely which additional qualification they need to have their profession recognised in Austria. Others are still processing the abruptness of their departure from Ukraine and need space before career planning can even begin. Some are confident jobseekers looking for a sparring partner; others have never navigated a foreign job market and don’t know where to start. There is no “typical” UNITE participant — and that diversity is exactly why the project’s flexible, person-centred design matters so much in practice, not just on paper.
These early experiences have shaped how we approach outreach and intake going forward, and they have reinforced something we already suspected: reaching people well is just as important as the support we offer once they arrive. In our next post, we will share insights from another important part of UNITE — the exchange happening between coaches and mentors across all four partner countries.
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Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Social Innovation Initiative. Neither the European Union nor the Social Innovation Initiative can be held responsible for them.
