One more DECIDE career guidance hub opened in Brovary

One more DECIDE career guidance hub has opened in Brovary — the ninth out of ten that we have established in Ukraine! This time, it is located at the Brovarskyi Vocational College.

This is not just a classroom or a laboratory, but a modern career guidance space where students in Grades 7–9 can test out various professions.

The hubs are part of a broader initiative to pilot a new career guidance system for students in Kyiv region, in partnership with the DECIDE Project, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Kyiv Regional State Administration.

The total budget for the project is UAH 4.8 million, which was funded by the DECIDE Project.

‘The professions taught at this educational institution are key to the recovery of the Ukrainian economy after the war, since the Brovarskyi Vocational College trains construction professionals. Support for vocational education and training will remain a priority for Switzerland in its assistance to Ukraine in the coming years. Switzerland has approved support for Ukraine totalling CHF 1.5 billion for reconstruction over the coming years,’ emphasised Felix Baumann, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Ukraine.

As part of the project, the 100-square-metre space was completely renovated. The lobby, corridors and bathrooms were refurbished and a new ventilation system was installed. The hub was equipped with modern technology and comfortable furniture to make it an interesting and comfortable space for students.

‘In Ukraine, we often focus on the fact that we have purchased equipment or carried out repairs. But, in reality, this only constitutes a small part of the project. The most important thing is opening the door to professions for children in Grades 7–9. We want children to be able to make an informed choice about whether to attend an academic lyceum or a vocational or technical college. For this, these institutions need to cooperate with each other so that children can visit and learn about various professions which have historically been rare in our country. As part of this project, almost 15,000 children visited various production facilities, enterprises, and educational institutions. In my opinion, this kind of activity should be incorporated into the educational process in all Ukrainian communities,’ said Dmytro Zavhorodnii, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalisation.

The vocational hub comprises a training area and seven practical stations where schoolchildren can experience the roles of welder, plumber, painter, tiler, building insulation specialist, frame construction specialist, and truck driver.

This format helps students to learn about different professions and discover which one is closest to them. It enables them to make an informed choice and find their way in vocational education.

‘One of the key reforms is the reform of specialised senior secondary schools, in which we support the Ukrainian government and communities. The reform has two strands: academic and vocational. Today, we are in a careers guidance hub which aims to encourage children to consider blue-collar professions and motivate them to view vocational education as a worthwhile and promising option. In Switzerland, for instance, between 65 and 70 per cent of teenagers opt for vocational education. In Ukraine, however, this figure is significantly lower, with only around 15 per cent of graduates choosing vocational education institutions, and a further 20 per cent opting for technical colleges. Our goal is to change this situation and dispel the myths and stereotypes surrounding blue-collar professions. That is why 10 such hubs have already been set up in Ukraine. This year, we are supporting the Ministry of Education in implementing a national pilot programme to provide career guidance to students in Grades 7–9. A total of 396 communities from across the country have joined the programme. The programme aims to foster collaboration between communities, businesses, vocational and professional education institutions, and universities. This creates opportunities for children to discover the world of professions and realise that there are prospects for them here in Ukraine. Career guidance hubs should become platforms where businesses, local authorities, educators, and young people can meet and interact,’ added Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager.

‘During wartime, it is important to have highly skilled blue-collar professionals to rebuild the region. Today, an increasing number of women are entering these professions. Before the full-scale invasion, only 10 per cent of the workforce were women, but now they account for over a third. We ran an interesting project in which 84 women expressed an interest in becoming drivers of large long-distance trucks. They now work in international transport. There is a war in the country and we must adapt to the challenges,’ said Mykola Kalashnyk, Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration.

Within the framework of piloting a partnership model between educational institutions, authorities (regional state administration, local governments) and businesses for the development of a new system of career guidance for children and young people in blue-collar professions in Brovarska community:

• two educational institutions were covered: the Trebukhivskyi Lyceum of the Brovary City Council and the Brovarskyi Lyceum No. 2 named after V. O. Sukhomlynskyi of the Brovary City Council;

• the implementation team included: 1 career guidance coordinator, 1 career guidance hub coordinator, 4 career counsellor teachers, who, together with us and PHZH International Projects in Education, implemented the JOBS course to support students in pilot schools in their career choices;

• 100 students completed the JOBS course. During the implementation period, 17 career guidance events took place in Brovarska community, including 7 excursions to enterprises, 4 excursions to vocational education institutions, career fairs and master classes from businesses.

• almost 5,000 high school students participated in career guidance events.

The following companies have already become residents of the hub: Baumit Ukraine LLC, Mira Budmaterialy LLC, Frounis Ukraine LLC, Grand Sport Hotel, and Holland Bakery 21.3 LLC.

The career guidance hub will become part of the career support system for children and teenagers in Brovarska community.

There are currently 10 such career guidance hubs in six regions of Ukraine: 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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