Professional Development for Academic Managers — a Priority within the World Bank’s Higher Education Project in Ukraine

The World Bank mission led by Shiro Nakata, Task Team Leader of the Ukraine Improving Higher Education for Results (UIHERP) project and Senior Economist, Education Global Practice, World Bank, visited the Kyiv training site of the Training program for academic managers. This is Mr. Nakata’s second visit to the Programme in Ukraine. The purpose was clear: review the outcomes of the first cycle, assess improvements introduced for the second cycle, hear direct feedback from participants, and open a discussion on the next step — scaling the Programme.

Human capital is the key resource for recovery. We are investing in university management teams and are ready to extend training to a wider group of staff — from senior leaders to administrators and student-service professionals,

said Mykola Trofymenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.

During the discussion, we reviewed how the Programme maintains contact with its graduates—academic managers (vice-rectors, deans, institute directors, heads of departments)—and how the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MoES), together with partners, measures its practical impact. The primary indicator is the successful implementation of institutional change projects developed by participant teams: updated development strategies, new initiatives launched across universities, improvements in internal processes and HR management approaches, faster decision-making, and a stronger organisational environment inside universities. Organisers noted that, following the first module of the second cycle, participant ratings and feedback are significantly higher than in the first cohort: the Programme was refined based on alumni feedback and is now more dynamic and even more practice-oriented.

Developing academic management in Ukraine is a priority for us. We see progress within teams and tangible changes at universities. We will therefore support the scale-up of the Programme and continue working with its graduates,

underlined Shiro Nakata.

Universities are also voicing a clear demand: to multiply the Programme internally so that more staff at different levels can benefit, and to develop targeted learning tracks for different types of institutions — classical, technical, and other specialised universities. The core course has already inspired other organisations to design focused solutions for their needs — from laboratory management to internationalisation.

The Training program for academic managers is a unique initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, implemented by the British Council within the joint project of the Ministry and the World Bank «Ukraine Improving Higher Education for Results» (UIHERP).The next stage will strengthen monitoring of graduate outcomes and support HEIs that are ready to roll out the training within their own teams.