‘Old methods of career guidance no longer work.’ How Brovary College sparks children’s love for professions
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
Career guidance from vocational schools used to look like this: a team of recruiters would come to the school, hand out leaflets and calendars – which the schoolchildren would throw away within a few minutes – and talk about the benefits of free education.
These days, Brovary Vocational College has replaced such activities with welding simulators, virtual truck driving experiences, and a real modular house where students can see how the electricity, water, and heating systems work.
In partnership with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project, the college has created a careers guidance hub – a space where students in Grades 7-9 not only learn about blue-collar professions but also have the chance to test them out.
‘One of the key reforms is the reform of specialised senior secondary education, within framework of which we provide support to the Ukrainian Government and communities. It comprises two components: academic and vocational. This careers guidance hub is designed to encourage young people to choose blue-collar professions and to motivate them to view vocational education as a respectable and promising option. In Switzerland, for example, 65–70 % of teenagers choose vocational education. In Ukraine, however, this figure is significantly lower: approximately 15% of school leavers choose vocational education institutions and a further 20% opt for technical colleges. We aim to change this situation – to break down the myths and stereotypes about blue-collar professions. With this in mind, 10 such hubs have already been established in Ukraine. These spaces are intended to serve as platforms where businesses, local authorities, educators, and young people can meet and interact,’ explains Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager.
How to turn an old workshop into a magnet for teenagers, and why is a modern plumber a specialist in white overalls carrying a case of diagnostic equipment? Read about it in the article.
Changes in approaches to careers guidance
The old methods of careers guidance were not just ineffective – they left teenagers feeling bored and sceptical, explains Oksana Perzhynska, Deputy Principal for Educational Work at the college.
‘Our whole team has always viewed career guidance as a priority area of our work. We realised that the world is changing, and teenagers aged 14–15 are no longer interested in the methods used in the past. Moreover, they are not always able to make a meaningful choice on their own. So the first “quantum leap” in our approach came when we shifted our focus from children to adults. We started attending parent-teacher meetings. Because career guidance is 75% about working with parents,’ says Oksana Perzhynska.
Later, the “Open Days” format developed into “ProFestOK” (a vocation is OK!). The college started inviting employers, who brought in modern equipment and ran masterclasses.
‘It became clear then: teenagers do not need speeches – they need a “test drive”. They want to see the tool, get a feel for the material and figure out whether their heart is in it. So, when DECIDE announced a call for proposals to create a careers guidance hub, we already had a clear vision: we needed a permanent space where this “test drive” could take place every day, rather than just once a year,’ explains Mykola Ladan, Principal of Brovary Vocational College.
87 square metres that change perception of vocational education and blue-collar professions
A metalwork workshop was chosen as the site for the future hub. The workshop was relocated to another building, where it continues to operate successfully, whilst the 87 square metres were transformed into a centre for the world of professions – a careers guidance hub.
‘We wanted students in grades 7–9 to be immersed in the world of professions. We wanted a separate space with training equipment and tools for each of the fields we teach,’ says Mykola Ladan.
Today, the hub in Brovary is more than just a renovated space. It is the result of a four-month journey involving renovations, discussions with designers and grant providers, all aimed to create a “wow effect” that works from the very first minute. DECIDE allocated over UAH 4.5 million to implement the project. The space is divided into several functional workshops:
Vehicle mechanic. Driver
This workshop presents an integrated vocational course. The main appeal here is the modern truck simulator. This is professional-grade equipment that fully replicates the cab of a lorry.
‘Students can choose the conditions in real time: whether they want to drive on a motorway or manoeuvre through complex junctions. The range of settings is very wide. The simulator is particularly popular with girls. Apart from virtual journeys, it features engine models and a mechanic’s tools, so that children understand that a driver not only has to turn the steering wheel, but also needs to understand how their car works,’ says Oksana Perzhynska.
Plumber for sanitary and technical systems and equipment
This workshop shows how the plumbing profession has changed. Instead of rusty wrenches, there are cases containing diagnostic equipment and digital devices.
‘We show children that a modern plumber is a specialist in white overalls with a compact set of expensive tools. The equipment installed here is used in both the private sector and the public utilities sector. For example, we give teenagers the chance to tinker with a reverse osmosis model. They change the filter cartridges themselves and see exactly how water filtration works. This is practical experience they gain in just a few minutes,’ explains Mykola Ladan.
Installer of building insulation systems. Plasterer. Painter
This is the largest workshop of the hub, where a real modular house has been set up. It allows visitors to see the internal structure of the building in cross-section:
Construction process: the facade of the house shows different types of insulation – polystyrene foam and mineral wool. There are special machines for cutting these materials.
Engineering networks: inside, the water supply, sewage, and electrical systems are installed. Teenagers can fit a radiator with a thermostatic head or connect a mixer tap themselves.
Interior decoration: a separate area is set aside for working with plasterboard and decorative plaster. Schoolchildren learn to use stencils to create “brick” or “rough-cut stone” effects.
Manual and automatic electric welder
The workshop combines virtual reality with real fire. The teenagers start by working on a simulator from Fronius. This is a premium-class piece of equipment that allows them to monitor the quality of the weld in real time on a large monitor.
‘The simulator reveals all the flaws: where the child was moving too fast, where they were holding the handle too low. Once their enthusiasm grows and they start to understand the process, we take them to a real workshop. There, overalls, masks, and workstations are already waiting for them. This is often where gender stereotypes are shattered: whilst the boys hesitate a little, the girls are the first to put on their protective gear and get to work welding metal,’ adds Oksana Perzhynska.
This workshop, by the way, was particularly interesting to the grandson of the college principal. The boy is in Grade 8, and his parents want him to pursue a completely different path.
‘But after he tried working on the welding simulator, he came home determined: “I’m going to be a welder!” This came as a surprise to the whole family,’ shares Mykola Ladan.
Every Thursday – a day of professional discoveries
Career guidance at the college is an ongoing, dynamic process with a clear schedule and logistics. Together with the Department of Education in Brovary, the college has developed an action plan: every Thursday, the hub welcomes schoolchildren from schools in the city and the district.
‘We started with pilot schools, but our reach is now much wider. Students come to us from the Bobrytska and Shevchenkivska schools, and from the Trybukhivskyi Lyceum. We decided not to limit ourselves to Grade 9 students. The best career guidance starts in Grades 7 and 8, so that by the time they leave school, children already have a clear vision of their future, rather than choosing a career a week before submitting their applications,’ says Oksana Perzhynska.
Apart from group tours, the college has introduced individual consultations. Children often come with their parents. In such cases, a psychologist works with the teenagers: discovering their interests, whether they prefer technical subjects or the arts, and what they are truly passionate about. Once the young person has revealed a little more about themselves, they begin to immerse themselves in the environment. This is not just a tour of the workshops, but an opportunity to see how the college students work during practical sessions.
‘The most interesting moments happen during the individual visits. Sometimes a mother visits, determined to persuade her son to become a chef. But the son walks into the hub, sees the welding simulator and says, “No, I’ll stay here.” Then we start working with the mother – explaining things, showing her the prospects, and overcoming her fears. Sometimes, parents try to fulfil their own unfulfilled dreams through their children. We, however, show that vocational education is not an alternative to success, but its foundation,’ says Mykola Ladan.
Behind every training machine in the hub lies a small personal triumph for the teenagers. For example, the staff recall a Grade 9 student who visited the hub on a school trip.
‘He shaped the bun himself and watched it bake in the combi-steamer. Then he took it out, tasted it and said, “Can I bake another bun to show my mum? Because she won’t believe I can do this!” At that moment, an inner barrier is broken. The child realises that the result of their labour is real and valuable,’ says the principal.
Another example is the welding workshop. When, after virtual training sessions at the hub, children are taken to a real workshop, where the smell of metal hangs in the air and welding arcs flash, many of them get excited.
‘Last Thursday, the group visited the welders. I noticed something interesting: the boys kept a bit of a distance at first, whereas the girls did the opposite. They put on their masks and aprons, picked up their welding holders, and started welding. And then, once the girls showed that it was not scary but exciting, the boys got involved too. This is the best way to break down gender stereotypes – simply letting them have a go,’ adds the deputy principal.
More than just a choice of profession: on the mission of the hub and cooperation with employers
The hub in Brovary is part of a wider career guidance ecosystem, in which business companies play a key role. The college cooperates with leading companies such as Fronius Ukraine, BAUMIT, Sniezka, Geberit, and Mira.
‘Our partners do not just provide materials; they open the doors to their companies. When students from the pilot schools went on a trip to Fronius Ukraine and saw the modern production facilities there, where our graduates work, it became the best argument for why it is worth working there. For example, the head of the technical department at this company is one of our former students. He tells the teenagers how his mentor taught him to make his first welds. This is a success story they can really “feel”,’ says Mykola Ladan.
The main outcome the college hopes to see from the work of the hub is a motivated enrolment. A person who comes to study not because ‘their parents told them to’ or ‘they failed to enrol in Grade 10’, but because they already know the scent of their own baking or the strength of their first weld.
‘We want to prove that vocational education is the first step in professional career development. You can always go on to higher education, but the best engineers and technologists are those who have worked their way up from the shop floor and know the production process from the inside. Our message to children is simple: in life, you need to be able to do something with your hands. It gives you confidence and freedom,’ concludes Oksana Perzhynska.
The DECIDE project is implemented by NGO DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.