Estonian initiative launches entrepreneurship education program in Zhytomyr vocational institutions

In Zhytomyr, the "Integration of Entrepreneurship Education into Ukrainian Vocational and Technical Education" project was presented at the Center of Vocational and Technical Education, where Kristina Kallas, Estonian Minister of Education, participated.

Ukrinform writes about it.

"We support educational projects because the success of future generations is based on education. We want to share the experience of Estonia because 30 years ago, we were in a similar situation. Many people think that entrepreneurship is the experience of starting one's own business, but in fact, it is an internal state of a person that always involves certain risks. The project that we present in Zhytomyr aims to introduce entrepreneurial skills into education. When you think about the future profession, it is about what you will do and how to turn it into a market product and sell it. I hope that the staff of your institution will help the children realize their initiatives," Kallas said.

^{Photo: Ukrinform / Iryna Chyrytsia}

Anna Silem, senior project manager of the Estonian International Development Center, added that the pilot project " Integration of Entrepreneurship Education into Ukrainian Vocational and Technical Education" will be implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education of Ukraine in ten educational institutions, five of which are in Zhytomyr.

The project is designed for two years.

According to the director of the Vocational and Technical Education Center, Mykola Perelyhin, this is already the second project implemented there with Estonia's support. The first assessed the capabilities of Zhytomyr vocational and technical institutes, and thanks to it, a strategic development plan was developed for each of them.

Instead, the new project provides for:

• changing the curriculum,
• training of teachers and masters.

The director mentioned that a new entrepreneurship laboratory will be established at the Vocational and Technical Education Center. A grant of UAH 15 million, which will be used to purchase modern equipment, will make this possible.

At the moment, 600 students are studying in the center across three areas:

• construction,
• agriculture,
• and fitting.

For reference:

It should be noted that Estonia will assist in rebuilding the art school in Malyn, the rehabilitation department in Berdychiv, and the construction project for a bomb shelter in Korosten in the Zhytomyr region.

In addition, the Estonian modular house manufacturer Harmet constructed a kindergarten in the town of Ovruch in the Zhytomyr region.

A new bridge in Malyn, constructed with Estonia's assistance, was recently officially unveiled. The previous bridge was destroyed on March 6, 2022, during enemy airstrikes on Malyn, dividing the city into two parts.