Building an open skills initiative takes more than a technical idea. It takes people who are willing to contribute, challenge assumptions and agree on how to work together. That is why this support matters to us.
The European Activism Incubator is a Brussels-based nonprofit organisation that supports both emerging initiatives and established organisations, including European membership organisations. Its work brings together organisational development, training, facilitation and practical support for nonprofit founders.
For the Open Skills Consortium, this is an important moment. We are working towards a shared foundation for skills data, and we want the organisation behind that work to be as thoughtful as the technology. Who contributes? How are decisions made? How do we keep the work useful to people beyond the organisations developing it? These questions belong at the beginning.
What the Open Skills Consortium is working towards
Consider an employer trying to understand a qualification earned in another country. Or a training provider trying to show exactly which capabilities a course develops. Or an experienced professional whose practical knowledge is difficult to communicate through a job title or certificate alone.
In each case, the question is not simply what a qualification is called. It is what someone can actually do, in which context, and what evidence supports that understanding.
The Open Skills Consortium, or OSC, is being developed to help organisations describe, connect and exchange this information more reliably. Its focus includes skills, qualifications, learning outcomes, professional experience and evidence of competence. The ambition is to make these understandable across organisational and national boundaries, rather than leaving them isolated in separate systems.
This means going beyond a shared list of skill names. A useful description also needs meaning, context, relationships and a traceable source. Evidence should make it possible to understand who assessed a capability, how it was assessed and under which conditions. AI can help identify similarities and suggest connections, but a similarity score is not proof that a person possesses a skill. That distinction is central to the OSC approach.
Where SupraGraph fits in
SupraGraph provides a technical foundation for this work through a knowledge graph that connects skills with occupations, qualifications, learning opportunities and credentials. The purpose is to make those relationships structured and usable by software, while preserving the context needed to interpret them.
OSC brings the collaborative work around that foundation into focus. Participating organisations can help define requirements, discuss governance and test approaches through practical pilots. The intention is to connect existing systems and standards more effectively, not to require every organisation to replace what it already uses.
We want that work to remain grounded in real decisions. Which evidence would make a skills match more credible? What information does an education provider need to exchange with an employer? Where does a proposed connection between qualifications need expert review? These are the kinds of questions worth testing together.
Join us at the founding forum on 22 September
On Tuesday, 22 September 2026, from 12.00 to 16.00 CEST, we will meet at the Dachcafé im Haus der Presse, Ostra-Allee 20, 01067 Dresden, Germany, for the founding forum of the Open Skills Consortium.
The forum is designed as a working meeting. Participants will help shape priorities, discuss how the consortium should operate, develop working groups and identify initial pilot projects. The afternoon is intended to lead to agreed next steps and responsibilities, rather than ending with a general expression of interest.
We invite employers, education providers, universities, chambers, professional associations, qualification recognition bodies, labour market institutions, researchers and technology providers to contribute their perspectives. The forum offers an opportunity to bring your organisation’s requirements into the discussion from the beginning and meet potential collaborators.
Bring one concrete challenge. It could be a qualification that is difficult to interpret, a skills profile that does not transfer between systems, or a learning outcome that needs clearer evidence. Bring your questions and the experience that could help others move forward.
We are grateful to the European Activism Incubator for its support. Above all, we are looking forward to meeting the people who will help turn this ambition into shared work.
Register for the founding forum on 22 September and help shape the Open Skills Consortium from the start. Registration and ticket details are available on the official event page.
