On 17 October, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, in cooperation with the DECIDE Project and local authorities, held a public discussion on the reform of specialised high schools in Kharkiv. The Kharkiv region has become the 23rd region to host these meetings. To date, more than 1,260 communities from across Ukraine have participated in these discussions. The event in the Kharkiv region was attended by Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science

In September 2025, our team of regional experts – Ihor Melnychuk, Petro Hotsaliuk, and Khrystyna Duda – held consultations in the Vyshniv, Liuboml, and Lukiv communities in the Volyn region. Together with community representatives, we discussed key issues of secondary education reform. Special attention was paid to the practical steps that communities can take right now. These include modelling a network of academic lyceums, preparing for the transformation of the school netw

Last week, public discussions were held with the participation of DECIDE project experts in the Karlivka, Lanna, and Martynivka communities. The discussions focused on the most pressing issues, namely how to establish an academic lyceum and make specialised education accessible to all school students. The central issue in the Karlivka community is establishing an academic lyceum, which is set to open on 1 September 2027. In the Lanna and Martynivka communities, the demographi

With the support of the DECIDE project, a modern career guidance hub has been established at Vocational Education Centre No. 1 in Ivano-Frankivsk. This is a space where students in Grades 7–9 can gain practical experience of various professions. The creation of hubs is part of a broader initiative to pilot a new career support system for students in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in partnership with the DECIDE project, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Iva

A modern career guidance culinary hub has been opened in Sokal, Lviv region, at the State Vocational and Technical Educational Institution ‘Sokal Professional Lyceum’. This is a new-format space, where students in grades 7–9 can not only learn about professions, but also try their hand at using real professional-grade kitchen equipment. Besides, school chefs from communities in the Lviv region will be retrained here, as the hub is part of a national network created within the

Last week, a team of experts from the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project conducted public consultations in the Tarashany and Mahala rural communities in the Chernivtsi region. Together with community leaders, educators and local councillors, they not only discussed current issues, but also provided practical advice and tools for implementing the third stage of specialised secondary education. In particular: why senior specialised schools open up new opportunities for students thr

Adolescents will now be able to learn about different professions and try them out in practice. The new hub was opened at the Interregional High Vocational School of Automotive Transport and Construction in Lviv, in cooperation with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project and the Lviv City Council. The creation of hubs is part of a broader initiative to pilot a new career support system for students in the Lviv region in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Uk

On 30 September, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, in cooperation with the DECIDE Project and local authorities, held a public discussion on secondary school reform in Romny, Sumy Region. Sumy became the 22nd region to host such meetings. To date, more than 1,200 communities from across Ukraine have participated in these discussions. The discussion in the Sumy region was attended by Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; Head o

This year’s Richelieu Forum, held annually by the National Agency for Civil Service of Ukraine, was dedicated to the topic ‘Human Rights in Ukraine: Optics of Change’. The DECIDE project was this event’s traditional partner. The Richelieu Forum provides an opportunity to engage in an open discussion about the future of public service within the context of war, reconstruction, and EU accession. The forum agenda included: strategic discussions on the transformation of public se

On 2 October, we celebrate a day dedicated to those shaping the future of Ukraine’s economy and labour market: vocational education institutions, their teachers, and their students. Vocational education is about more than just knowledge and skills. It is a path to self-fulfilment, decent employment, and to the development of communities and the country as a whole. Here, a new generation of craftsmen, technologists, and specialists is being formed who demonstrate daily that it