In the context of creating Priority Development Areas (PDAs) on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is becoming increasingly important to find effective forms and methods of training specialists to work in the enterprises of the real sector of the economy located in the PDAs. The creation of new enterprises is a necessary, and often the only prerequisite for the development of territories that for various reasons are facing a difficult socio-economic situation. Undoubtedly, with new businesses opening in the region and requiring specialists with competencies not previously demanded in the region, or requiring a higher level of training, the interaction between educational institutions and businesses is also reaching a new level of training. The authors of the article, together with representatives of manufacturing enterprises, developed a diagnostic map for assessing the competencies developed in specialists trained to work in PDAs, which contributed to determining the effectiveness of interaction. The authors introduced the developed diagnostic map into the activities of the educational organisation, thus facilitating the implementation of the experimental part of the study, which assessed the effectiveness of training specialists for PDAs. The experiment involved 172 employees from various enterprises in the PDAs. This tool for diagnosing the criteria and indicators for the competencies developed in specialists trained to work in manufacturing PDAs can serve as part of the interaction between any type of educational organisation and any type of enterprise.