Point A → Point B: The Stories Behind Professional Integration HUB
9/18/20262 min read
Over the past three years, Professional Integration HUB, implemented by the European Centre for Freedom and Independence, has grown into one of the most visible professional integration initiatives for Ukrainian women in Austria.
The program has brought together Ukrainian professionals, Austrian institutions, employers, experts, and professional communities, creating opportunities for Ukrainian women to gain experience in the Austrian working environment, build professional connections, strengthen their profiles, and take the next steps in their careers.
More than 50% of HUB alumni received contract extensions, new positions, or further professional opportunities after completing the program.
But numbers tell only part of the story.
What happens after the program ends?
Professional integration is a process shaped by applications and rejections, new professional contacts, unfamiliar working environments, growing confidence, and opportunities that may emerge along the way.
For many HUB participants, entering the Austrian labour market also meant learning how to navigate a new professional culture, understanding how their previous experience could be transferred to a different context, and rebuilding a professional network.
At the same time, through Professional Integration HUB, we have created opportunities for Austrian employers and institutions to work directly with Ukrainian professionals and experience their expertise, responsibility, and contribution firsthand.
This is the impact we want to explore beyond statistics.
Introducing "From Point A to Point B"
With our new series, From Point A to Point B, we are returning to the stories of Professional Integration HUB alumni to see where their professional journeys have taken them.
Where was their Point A? What challenges did they face entering the Austrian labour market? What changed during and after HUB? And where are they now?
Through personal stories, the series will explore the different paths of HUB alumni: the challenges they faced, the opportunities they found, the professional connections they built, and the moments that changed their direction.
Each journey unfolds differently. There are setbacks, unexpected opportunities, changes of direction, and achievements that sometimes become visible only in retrospect.
Beyond individual success stories
These stories are personal, but together they reflect a broader impact.
Through Professional Integration HUB, we have supported Ukrainian women in understanding the Austrian labour market, becoming more visible to employers, building professional connections, and regaining confidence in their expertise.
At the same time, each professional journey contributes to a broader understanding of Ukrainian women in Austria as highly qualified professionals who create value, take responsibility, and become active participants in the Austrian labour market.
From Point A to Point B is about these journeys and the people behind the results. Because behind every statistic is a professional path, and every Point B can become the beginning of something new.
Professional Integration HUB is implemented by the European Centre for Freedom and Independence.
Our sincere thanks to ERSTE Foundation for initiating and continuously supporting Professional Integration HUB, and for its long-term commitment to the professional integration of Ukrainian women in Austria.
info@eucfi.org
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The European Centre for Freedom and Independence