On April 29, 2025, the University of Vienna hosted an Innovation Forum of the CLEAR project. The forum took place at a welcoming, barrier-free venue in Pramergasse, bringing together a diverse group of participants to reflect on learning outcomes, social inequalities, and the future of education in Austria. Following the participatory model developed in earlier IFs, the event aimed to create a space where young people, educators, advisors, and researchers could engage in open and structured dialogue about challenges and opportunities in Vienna’s education and labour systems, particularly for youth in multi-disadvantaged positions. With this, the IF aspired to explore why learning outcomes often fail to meet expectations, how socio-economic background, space, and institutions influence access to education and work, and finally, what a fairer, more inclusive future for education could look like.
The Vienna IF gathered 15 participants, the majority of them young adults (10), three youth advisors/educators, and two researchers from the University of Vienna. Conforming to CLEAR’s aim to engage with a broad range of educational stakeholders, participants represented different life contexts, with nine individuals identifying as having a migration background. This diversity also enabled rich discussions on lived experiences in Vienna’s education and labour systems.
After a brief introduction to the CLEAR project, its central research findings, and its participatory approach, participants were divided into three mixed workshop groups. Each group focused on one of the project’s main thematic areas: educational chances (WP3), decision-making and guidance (WP4), and biographical transitions (WP5). The group assignments were done anonymously and without strict criteria, enabling a power-neutral environment. Discussions were enriched through fictional scenarios, reflective questions, and a Delphi-inspired sticker exercise on future trends in education.
WP3 – Educational Chances
This group reflected on how the education system creates opportunities and limits for different social groups. Participants emphasized that Austria’s current education system reinforces rather than reduces inequality. Discussions focused on early educational tracking, which pressures young people into rigid life paths at an early age, the symbolic value of academic titles (“Titelgeilheit”) and their role as outdated markers of success, and the lack of curricular flexibility. Participants called for various educational reforms, such as a more comprehensive school model, broader definitions of success, and new learning formats that allow for individual choices and value personal growth, curiosity, and practical knowledge.
WP4 – Decision-Making and Guidance
This workshop explored the social and institutional actors influencing educational pathways. Participants reflected on how family, peers, teachers, and institutions shape decisions, often in unequal ways. This is especially true for students with a migration background, as they face structural barriers such as a lack of clear guidance, difficult school transitions, and language challenges. They highlighted the need for more inclusive guidance services and stronger recognition of individual backgrounds and informal learning contexts. Calls for better mental health support and more time to explore different educational pathways were central.
WP5 – Biographical Transitions
The young adults in this group challenged the myth of the “perfect career.” They described fragmented, non-linear journeys marked by hardship and institutional misrecognition. Mental health, stigma, and a lack of second-chance opportunities were major concerns. Their vision for the future includes inclusive schools that value emotional well-being and allow room for detours, restarts, and experimentation.
Conclusions
Various interesting points of discussion emerged during the different workshops, which can be summarized as follows:
- Vienna offers rich educational and labour opportunities, yet access remains stratified. While tertiary graduates thrive, youth from working-class and migrant backgrounds often remain stuck with only compulsory schooling and then end up in low-qualified, precarious jobs, with formal systems failing to bridge the gap. Education is often experienced as selective and exclusive, not a ladder for social mobility.
- Learning paths are fragmented. Structural pressure, mental health issues, and institutional rigidity often interrupt education-to-work transitions. Youth described careers marked by detours, pauses, or emotional crises—experiences that formal systems rarely acknowledge, and thus, they are frustrated with rigid, formalistic pathways. They seek more inclusive, human-centred support structures.
- Symbolic exclusion is widespread. Language, origin, and neighborhood continue to shape how young people are treated in schools and by employers. This leads to mistrust, disengagement, and a sense of being “out of place” in public institutions.
- Mental health is a hidden crisis. Anxiety, burnout, and a lack of school-based psychological support were key concerns. Participants called for emotional support to be embedded in school structures, not treated as optional or secondary.
- The labour market remains polarised. While tertiary graduates in Vienna have a high employment rate (85.4%), integration of low-qualified youth is alarmingly low (43.5%). Young people also raised concerns about precarious work—more part-time jobs, instability, and lack of upward mobility.
In general, participants expressed high satisfaction with the format and outcomes. They valued the opportunity to speak freely, share personal insights, and learn from others—some even proposed creating permanent dialogue spaces between research and youth.
While some suggested more time for discussion, all agreed that the Innovation Forum was a meaningful, empowering experience. Some participants even expressed that they felt like the first time their story was heard, not just as data, but as a contribution that could change how the system works. It is especially important if we consider that young people are often treated as if everyone starts from the same point, without considering their background. However, some already have to fight just to be seen.
Recommendations for Educational Stakeholders
- Delaying early school tracking and expanding comprehensive schooling until age 15.
- Redefining success by de-emphasising grades and recognising emotional, social, and informal learning.
- Expanding low-threshold support systems, such as youth labs or research workshops, where young people can explore options without stigma or pressure.
- Investing in mental health services, especially school psychologists and peer mentoring.
- Combating stigma by fostering inclusive school environments and improving access to apprenticeships, regardless of background.