Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE is launching a new direction supporting the reform of vocational education in Ukraine

The Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, is launching a new direction “DECIDE: VET” to support the reform of vocational education in Ukraine. This initiative will combine the efforts of regional state administrations and territorial communities, vocational and technical education institutions, schools, and businesses to develop a career guidance system and enhance the attractiveness of vocational education.

Switzerland allocates 2 million Swiss francs (over 80 million hryvnias) to support the reform of vocational education in Ukraine.

“Vocational education reform is a priority for the Government of Ukraine. This is evidenced by the investments in the sector that continue even in the face of a full-scale war. During the post-war recovery period, we will need a lot of skilled workers with modern knowledge and skills. However, we need to take care of meeting these needs now. I am grateful to Switzerland for supporting the reform of vocational education and for expanding the DECIDE project to a new direction dedicated to vocational education reform. I am confident that the allocated resources will be a good basis for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy and the rebuilding of infrastructure,” said Dmytro Zavgorodnyi, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The DECIDE project will provide expert and technical support to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in implementing vocational education reform at the national level, especially in:

• transferring VET institutions from state to municipal property;
• developing the system of educational-methodical centers for VET;
• improving the regulatory framework to ensure effective implementation of vocational education reform;
• developing a new model of funding for the VET institutions system.

“For the restoration and development of Ukraine, it is extremely important to have trained professionals. In Switzerland, for example, 75 percent of students choose vocational education. To raise the prestige of vocational education in Ukraine, it is necessary to fundamentally change not only the educational infrastructure and content but also to build an effective career guidance system,” noted Andreas Huber, Director of the Cooperation Program at the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.

Additionally, the initiative will pilot models of cooperation between regional state administrations, territorial communities, VET institutions, schools, and businesses to develop a system of career support for students. In particular:

• Partner regions participating in the pilot implementation include Poltava, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Lviv regions.
• In partner regions, 10 VET institutions and 10 community partners will be selected.
• Each of the selected VET institution will receive support in creating its development strategies and a seed grant to set up a career guidance hub, as well as access to professional development programs and expert support in developing cooperation with businesses.
• Partners from territorial communities will receive grants and expert support for organizing career guidance events, and involve their specialists in professional career counselors training programs.
• Comprehensive student career guidance systems will be implemented in partner community educational institutions in collaboration with leading Ukrainian experts and specialists from the Zurich University of Teacher Education, Switzerland.

“In order to guarantee that parents and kids receive appropriate career assistance while choosing their future careers, it is critical to promote cooperation between local government agencies, businesses, schools, and vocational institutions. The goal of this joint endeavor is to establish a clear link between education and the labour market, enabling young Ukrainians to have aspirations of a better future in their native country and pursue modern, in-demand professions,” emphasized Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE Project Manager.

The piloting of the career guidance system will be implemented until the end of 2024.