Ukraine and Switzerland unite to launch project supporting vocational education reform

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project are launching the "DECIDE: PROFTECH" direction to support professional education reform to increase its prestige.

The Ministry of Education and Science reported this.

What is the problem?

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Science for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization Dmytro Zavhorodnyi, vocational education reform is a priority of the Ukrainian government.

Proof of this is the investment in the field, which does not stop even in the conditions of a full-scale war.

"During the post-war recovery period, we will need a lot of qualified workers with modern knowledge and skills. But we need to meet these needs now," he emphasized.

What is the solution?

So, the Ministry of Education and Culture, in collaboration with the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project, is introducing the "DECIDE: PROFTECH" initiative to elevate the standing of vocational education and facilitate its reform.

For this purpose, Switzerland allocates 2 million francs (over UAH 80 million) to reform vocational education and training in Ukraine.

It is noted that the DECIDE project will provide expert and technical support to the Ministry of Education and Science for the implementation of vocational education reform at the national level.

According to Andreas Huber, director of the cooperation program of the Swiss Embassy, it is essential to have trained specialists in labor professions for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. In Switzerland, 75% of students choose vocational education.

"To raise the prestige of professional education in Ukraine, it is necessary to fundamentally change not only the educational infrastructure and the content of education but also to build an effective career guidance system," he emphasized.

How does it work?

Vocational and technical education institutions will be transferred from state to communal ownership as part of the reform.

The reform also provides for:

• development of the system of educational and methodical centers,
• improvement of the regulatory framework,
• development of a new model for the formation of regional networks.

Within the initiative's framework, cooperation models will be piloted for regional state administrations, territorial communities, vocational and technical education institutions, schools, and businesses to develop student career support systems.

Poltava, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Lviv regions were chosen as partner regions that will participate in the piloting of the system.

Partner communities will receive a grant and expert support for the organization of career guidance events and will involve specialists in professional programs for training career counselors.

Community secondary education institutions have plans to implement a program in collaboration with top Ukrainian experts and specialists from the University of Zurich (Switzerland) to guide students in selecting a career.

The career support system will be piloted until the end of 2024.

The DECIDE project is implemented by the Public Association DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.

For reference:

It should be noted that the reform of the higher education financing system in Ukraine includes a provision that students in specific majors who are studying under the state's funding will receive a stipend equivalent to the minimum wage.