The structure of the Ukrainian labor market has been changing rapidly in recent years. This is due to changes in the structure of the country's economy, the emergence of new industries and a certain decline in some traditional ones, the introduction of new forms of organizing and managing economic activities of enterprises, and other reasons.
Moreover, these changes have accelerated since the outbreak of a full-scale war with Russia. And after the victory, Ukraine will need a huge number of specialists in both technical and humanitarian fields, and many of these specialists will have to work in new areas. It is clear that people should be trained now to work in various specialties today, and to work on rebuilding and transforming the country tomorrow. So, the opportunities available to the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” and how they can be used for training and retraining of current and future job seekers were discussed during the meeting of the university management with the heads of the Kyiv Regional Employment Center on November 21 - its director Denys Darmostuk and the head of the employment programs implementation department Svitlana Shapoval.
The conversation was attended by Rector Anatolii Melnychenko, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Tetiana Zheliaskova, Assistant Rector for Veteran Affairs and Military Affairs Andrii Havrushkevych, Director of the Educational and Methodological Complex “Institute of Postgraduate Education” Inna Maliukova, Director of the Institute of IEE Oksana Vovk, Director of the Educational and Innovative Center for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics at the Institute of Postgraduate Education Nataliia Seminska. The guests heard firsthand about the programs and courses implemented at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute for advanced training, retraining and obtaining a second higher education by adults. They were told about the training program for specialists in humanitarian demining (here Oksana Vovk, who represented it, emphasized that people who have been through the war themselves are especially needed to work in this new field), unmanned and autonomous systems engineering, which are not only widely used in times of war but will also be used after the victory, cybersecurity, energy, psychology and social work (by the way, the rector noted that the IPE Training and Innovation Center for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation has already implemented a training course in Military Psychology), the bachelor's and master's programs in International Social Projects and Volunteer Activities, etc. Since the meeting was primarily about adaptation and professional training and retraining of veterans, Natalia Seminska suggested organizing a seminar with them at the university, where representatives of the faculties and institutes could present to the participants the full range of opportunities that Kyiv Polytechnic offers to those who have gone through the war and sometimes lost their health.
The role of employment centers, including the Kyiv Regional Employment Center, is extremely important in this context. It is in these structures that combatants, including people with disabilities, and their family members can now receive not only professional advice on jobs, but also real support in the form of referrals for vocational training at vocational or vocational education institutions of the State Employment Service. And not only in them: veterans with vocational, professional pre-university or higher education; citizens of Ukraine aged 45+ (up to retirement age); internally displaced persons; citizens in respect of whom the facts of deprivation of personal freedom as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine have been established; and persons belonging to some other categories can receive a voucher for free training according to the list of professions and specialties approved by the order of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine No. 2040 dated 11.04.2023. This list is quite long - as many as 155 positions, meaning that people who need a job have a real opportunity to choose their future professional path - whether in IT, construction, education, transportation, medicine, social services, etc. According to Svitlana Shapoval, this training can vary not only in terms of directions, but also in terms of forms: advanced training courses, retraining programs, and second higher education. Of course, the word “free of charge” means free of charge for the person: the cost of this training will be covered by the state, which will transfer the funds to the relevant educational institution. However, for some professions and specialties, perhaps not all of it, but the amount of financial support for training is still considerable - UAH 30,289.
At the end of the meeting, Anatoliy Melnychenko and Denys Darmostuk signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the Kyiv Regional Employment Center, which defines areas for further cooperation and joint activities, including the preparation of joint projects for grants from national and international employment programs; providing information and consulting work on the implementation of grant programs for the creation or development of their own business to combatants, persons with disabilities as a result of war and members of the
“I am very pleased that Kyiv Polytechnic has those areas of study that are very popular in the labor market today. These include psychology, cybersecurity, engineering, etc. We agreed with the rector that we will popularize the engineering direction more,” Denys Darmostuk commented on the results of the meeting for the university media. ”We will work on this and inform all our clients about the opportunities that Kyiv Polytechnic opens up for them.
Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute together with the Kyiv Regional Employment Center will prepare new projects for employment, second higher education, retraining and retraining courses
“Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute trains specialists in areas that are very popular in the labor market: psychology, cybersecurity, and engineering. Together with the university, we will popularize engineering among our clients, telling them about the opportunities that Kyiv Polytechnic opens up for them. Our organization will provide financial support to such people. During 2023-2024, we issued more than 2,500 vouchers for advanced training and second higher education,” Denys Darmostuk, Director of the Kyiv Regional Employment Center.
The parties have signed a memorandum of cooperation that will include not only civilian employment, but also advanced training and retraining under voucher programs for those who need it most: veterans, military personnel and their families. These joint actions will help everyone who wants to get high-quality training at the best technical university in Ukraine, cover part of the tuition fee, and, perhaps, start their own business later.
“This synergy between our university and the Kyiv Regional Employment Center will help us create consortia to overcome the shortage of personnel in today's crucial industries, such as energy and humanitarian demining. And also to involve veterans and the military. Our university is ready to create new retraining programs,” said Oksana Vovk, Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
Kyiv Polytechnic already has a number of retraining courses in the fields of engineering, rehabilitation and psychology, which are conducted by the Institute of Postgraduate Education of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the newly created Educational and Research Center for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation.