On 24–25 February 2026, DECIDE Project team conducted a study visit to Kiliiska community. Kiliiska community has been a partner of DECIDE since 2021. During this time, thanks to expert, methodological, and organisational support, the community has successfully implemented a number of important decisions for the development of its education sector. The DECIDE team, represented by Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager; Yuliia Molchanova, DECIDE Coordinator of Component 2

A chocolate fountain next to a virtual welding machine, a lorry simulator and a homemade modern tractor simulator – this does not describe an innovation exhibition, but rather everyday life at the career guidance hub in Reshetylivka in Poltava region. The message here is clear: vocational education is no longer a ‘backup option’ but is about high technology, decent wages and a conscious choice of career path. Today, there are already ten such hubs operating in six regions of

In February, heads of education authorities and their deputies from communities in Chernihiv region underwent a special professional development programme entitled ‘Reform of Specialised Senior Secondary School’. The training lasted from 17 to 24 February in a remote format, and on 27 February, an in-person seminar and workshop was held in Chernihiv, bringing together community representatives, experts, and regional authorities for an open professional discussion on the futur

A workshop on ‘Reform of specialised senior secondary schools: opportunities and challenges for the community’ was held in Chernihiv on 26 February as the final part of a professional development course that began on 18 February. The event was attended by 43 community leaders from Chernihiv region and their deputies. The implementation of specialised secondary education reform, with a focus on the region’s specific characteristics, was discussed with: Nadiia Kuzmychova, Deput

Helmiazivska, Selyshchenska, Zvenyhorodska, and Irkliivska communities. The team also held nine online consultations for communities in the region. At present, DECIDE experts provide consultation support to 29 communities in Cherkasy region, which is almost half of all communities in the region. The discussions focused on the issues most important to parents and teachers: Will current ninth-graders be able to continue their education at their current school? What will happen

The Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project and the Chernihiv Regional State Administration have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation until 2030 – a document that opens up new opportunities for the restoration and development of education in the communities of Chernihiv region and the region as a whole. Chernihiv region is one of those where the war left a particularly deep imprint. Destroyed schools, lost infrastructure, long months of anxiety and threats. For three years, DECIDE worke

For decades, a stereotype prevailed in Ukraine: a successful future is only possible with a university degree. However, the reality of the labour market is often different. In Brovary, officials decided to speak openly about the imbalance: while the employment centre is looking for builders and cooks, people with higher education who cannot find work in their field are turning to them for help. Today, Brovarska community, in collaboration with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Proje

The partnership with Odesa region began in 2020. Over more than five years of cooperation, more than 80 communities in the region have joined the Project’s activities. The focus of the next five years of joint work will continue to be the development of education and local self-government. The Memorandum provides for an expanded framework for cooperation in key areas, including support for: the implementation of specialised secondary school reform with regard to the formation

Imagine an eight-grade student who, instead of the usual workshop lesson, puts on VR glasses to try out welding, or eagerly fills out their own ‘employment record book’, moving from location to location in vocational training. In Chernihiv, career guidance is no longer a formality but has become a living ecosystem where students are the main researchers. Jointly with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project, the city is piloting a system that helps young people not only obtain a ce

On 20–21 February, DECIDE Project, in partnership with the Development Agency of the Prykarpattia Communities, supported a two-day conference entitled ‘Cooperation, Resilience and Local Development of Communities in the Context of Military Challenges and Prospects for European Integration’, which was held in Kosiv urban community in Ivano-Frankivsk region. The event brought together the heads of communities in Ivano-Frankivsk region. The heads of communities in Zakarpattia an