How to unite the efforts of authorities, education and business for professional development of children in Ukraine
How to build coordinated efforts at national, regional, and local levels, and unite the efforts of authorities, the education sector, and the business community so that every child can not only explore the world of professions, but also see real opportunities for learning, professional development, and self-fulfilment in their community, region, and Ukraine in general?
This topic was discussed during the regional dialogue platform «From Community to Region: Building an Ecosystem for Career Guidance» at the National Forum «The Future We Choose!», organised by the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Ukraine is developing its own model of career guidance
International experience in career guidance is an important benchmark, but the system will only be effective if it takes the Ukrainian context into account: the specific features of the education system, the economy, the labour market, and the capabilities of communities.
Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager, emphasised this fact.
‘The Swiss approach to careers guidance is impressive, but this model – like any other – cannot be implemented in Ukraine. We are developing our own model, which takes into account our history, economy, and the specific features of our education system. Currently, more than 500 communities from all regions of Ukraine have joined the national pilot project for the careers guidance system. For DECIDE, the key criterion in selecting communities was their willingness to invest time and resources, to build partnerships with the business sector, and to open up opportunities for young people in their community, region, and the country in general. In order to make this approach work, the whole of society has to be involved: the government, regions, communities, educational institutions, and the business sector. The national pilot project is built around this very idea.’
Career guidance helps young people see opportunities for their future in Ukraine
One of the key outcomes of the first year of the national pilot project, highlighted by Valentyna Poltorak, was a shift in students’ priorities. The proportion of young people who were planning or considering studying abroad fell from 60% to 30%.
These results stress how important working with young people is, not only when it comes to choosing a profession, but also to introducing them to the opportunities available in their community.
‘At first glance, we did not do anything complicated: communities introduced the JOBS course for students in Grades 8–9. But behind this lies a great deal of joint work. Businesses opened their doors to the children, telling them about professions and opportunities in Ukraine. Communities should be the driving force behind this sort of cooperation – reaching out to employers, telling them about their young people, their needs and their expectations, and engaging businesses in joint efforts.’
The discussion was moderated by Iryna Shumik, Director-General of the Directorate for Vocational Education at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, who, together with the participants, focused on how to establish cooperation between the state, regions, and communities to develop the career guidance system.
Equal opportunities for children from different communities
In Kyiv region, there are communities whose educational institutions have fewer than a thousand students, and there are others where the number of students exceeds 20,000. They also differ in terms of their financial resources, educational infrastructure, and opportunities for cooperation with employers.
Therefore, it is important to coordinate the development of the career guidance system at the regional level, so that children’s access to quality support in the process of career self-determination does not depend on which community they live in.
Zhanna Osipenko, Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, highlighted this aspect.
‘To ensure that all children – from the smallest to the largest communities – have equal opportunities to access high-quality career guidance, we need a common policy and coordinated action. Kyiv region was among the first regions to join the DECIDE pre-pilot of the career guidance system. We started with two communities – Brovarska and Vasylkivska – where the first career guidance hubs began operating. This experience has shown just how much children, parents, and communities need this kind of approach.’
Today, 22 communities and five district state administrations in Kyiv have already become actively involved in developing the career guidance system in the region. The next task is to expand this work and ensure cooperation between communities at the regional level.
Sheptytska community: Career guidance begins with the child’s choice
Andrii Zalivskyi, Mayor of Sheptytskyi, explained that the community began transforming its network of educational institutions as early as 2020–2021. The community established a network of gymnasiums and an academic lyceum, and when defining the educational profiles, it focused primarily on the students’ choices.
‘The child’s choice was the guiding principle. We opened classes in line with the profiles chosen by the students, focusing on their interests and educational needs rather than on the need to ensure teachers had a teaching load.’
Andrii Zalivskyi explained that, following the community’s participation in career guidance events organised by DECIDE Project, it became apparent that students graduating from Grade 9 were making more conscious decisions about their future educational path. This year, 90 fewer students than usual enrolled at the academic lyceum, whereas more graduates opted for vocational and pre-higher vocational education institutions.
For the community, this provided further evidence in favour of developing the career guidance system, which helps children better understand the differences between different educational paths and make choices in line with their own interests.
‘We have seen a change in the choices children are making. Some of them did not go to the academic lyceum but opted for vocational education instead. Therefore, the next step is to combine three elements: the school, the vocational education institution, and the business sector. This will help children understand where they can study, undertake internships, and eventually work. It should be a holistic route.’
Trostianetska community: Creating opportunities for young people even amidst war
For frontline communities, the development of career guidance is of particular importance.
Trostianetska community in Sumy region, situated 45 kilometres from the state border, has endured occupation and the destruction of educational institutions and businesses. Security challenges remain part of its everyday life.
However, the community continues to work in order to ensure that children and young people have opportunities to learn and understand the possibilities available to them for professional development and self-fulfilment in the community.
Yurii Bova, Mayor of Trostianets, shared this experience.
‘For Sumy region, the number one priority is to develop a model that will help our children receive a high-quality education, learn a trade, and find work at our local businesses. We want to create the conditions for young people to see their future here at home. Because Sumy region is an outpost, and it has been, is, and will remain an outpost.’
One example of this work is the school forestry programme, which has been cooperating with the local forestry service for many years. During their studies, schoolchildren are introduced to professions in this sector, gain practical experience, and later some of the graduates choose to pursue employment in this field.
This is an example of how career guidance can align children’s interests, opportunities for education, and career development with the needs of the local economy.
Business is no longer just a partner, but an active participant in the career guidance system
Career guidance gives employers the opportunity not only to introduce young people to different professions, but also to play a part in training future specialists, equipping them with practical skills and developing human resource potential.
Liliia Marachkanets, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Development and Partnerships at Kernel, spoke about the experience of such systematic work.
‘Business is already part of a large career guidance ecosystem. Large companies work systematically in this direction because people are our greatest asset. Without specialists, even the most modern machines and technologies will not work.’
Kernel develops educational initiatives for young people at different stages of their education and provides opportunities to learn not only about traditional professions in the agricultural sector, but also about modern technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, data analysis and other fields that are transforming modern production.
The participants in the regional dialogue platform were united by a shared vision: systematic careers guidance begins with cooperation, and its outcome should be real opportunities for every child.
The school helps students to get to know themselves, their interests, and their abilities better. The community fosters cooperation between educational institutions, employers, and other partners so that young people can gain practical insight into the world of work. At the regional level, it is important to coordinate this work and ensure access to opportunities available not only in a particular community but across the entire region. Vocational, pre-higher, and higher education institutions introduce young people to different educational paths, whereas employers offer them the chance to see professions from the inside, learn about working conditions, and experience different types of work.
And most importantly – at the heart of this interaction lies the child, their interests, abilities, and the right to make their own choices.
After all, career guidance is not about deciding a child’s future for them, but about helping them to get to know themselves, discover different opportunities, and make their own conscious choices.
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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