DECIDE career guidance hub opens at Reshetylivskyi Professional Agricultural Lyceum in Poltava region

This is the eighth of ten DECIDE hubs! The DECIDE career guidance hub is a modern educational space where pupils in grades 7–9 can explore various professions first-hand and make an informed decision about their future career. 

The hub was created in partnership with the DECIDE project, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Poltava Regional State Administration and the Poltava Regional Council. Its opening is part of an initiative to pilot a new career guidance system to help schoolchildren choose a profession.

As part of the project, a total area of 210 m² of premises were renovated to provide students with a modern, comfortable and inclusive learning space. A stairlift was installed to ensure that everyone can access the building with ease. The space has been equipped with modern interactive equipment and new furniture to make learning here even more enjoyable. 

The hub includes six themed stations where students can learn about and experience various professions: tractor driver, driver, manual welder, chemical and bacteriological analysis laboratory assistant, cook and training area. ‘This hub was created with the support of Switzerland. The idea is for it to become a platform for cooperation between education, business, and the authorities. At the DECIDE career guidance hub, pupils in grades 7–9 will be able to try out various professions represented at the lyceum, talk to current students and attend masterclasses and training sessions led by business representatives. They can then go on a field trip to a company or do an internship to see what the work of a specialist in a particular profession looks like in real life,’ saysValentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager. ‘Today, more than 140 business representatives from 10 hubs have already joined the initiative, giving students first-hand insight into various professions.’

‘The career guidance hub, also known as the ‘hub of opportunities’ is an educational space designed for learning and career guidance. Some school students have already visited the hub, while others will visit in the near future, as it focuses on cooperating with general secondary education institutions. We do not just invite young people to participate – we also hope to involve the adult population,’ notes Nila Spilna, principal of the Reshetylivskyi Professional Agricultural Lyceum named after I.H. Borovenskyi.

The total budget for the project was approximately UAH 8.5 million. Of this, UAH 3.6 million came from the DECIDE project, and the remaining UAH 4.9 million was provided through co-financing by the Poltava Regional Military Administration and the Poltava Regional Council.

‘Innovation is extremely important today, especially in blue-collar professions – its relevance is only growing. There is currently a shortage of such specialists at both the local and national levels. We are sincerely grateful to the DECIDE project for its support and assistance in developing this area – without their involvement, we would not have been able to expand career guidance opportunities for young people,’ said Oleksandr Bilenkyi, Head of the Poltava Regional Council. 

The following companies have already become residents of the DECIDE career guidance hub: PJSC MKP, Kernel-Trade LLC, Sukhorabivske LLC, Astarta-Kyiv LLC and an individual entrepreneur Tabora Maryna Vitaliivna.

As part of the pilot career guidance system in the Reshetylivska community, over 100 pupils in grades 8–9 took the JOBS course and over 630 children and teenagers visited businesses in the community and region on field trips. 

The Reshetylivskyi career guidance hub is one of ten hubs created under a pilot initiative by the DECIDE project and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the following regions: Kyiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Odesa, and Ivano-Frankivsk. 

The DECIDE project is implemented by NGO DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.

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