Solutions from Ukraine: first companies join project to train women in traditionally ‘male’ professions

In November 2024, Ukraine's government initiated a project to train women in conventionally "male" professions at the state's expense. By February 2025, the first companies from five regions of Ukraine had joined the initiative.

Rubryka reported this.

What is the problem?

The mobilization of men for military service has led to a labor shortage, particularly in professions traditionally dominated by men, such as construction, welding, locksmithing, electrical work, and driving.

What is the solution?

In November 2024, the Ukrainian government launched a project to train women in professions traditionally dominated by men. Thanks to this project, women can master 31 professions and find jobs in popular areas—construction, industry, and transport. In February 2025, the first employers joined this program, and the first women began to undergo training.

"The introduction of martial law in Ukraine has changed the work of enterprises, influenced the choice of professions for training, and there is a tendency for the number of women who choose professions that are considered conventionally "male" to train," Stanislav Pavlenko, Deputy Director of the State Employment Center, said in a comment to Rubryka.

How does it work?

Employers wishing to join the program must submit an application to the employment center detailing their need for trained specialists. The center conducts interviews with women interested in the training. Approved candidates then undergo training to master a new profession.

Employers can also utilize this service if their enterprises already employ women as unskilled workers. Through the project, these women can select a new, traditionally "male" profession for training, allowing them to advance to higher positions.

However, the project limits training costs to a maximum of 10 subsistence minimal salaries for able-bodied persons, currently amounting to 30,280 hryvnias, which is the maximum the state will cover. If training costs exceed this amount, the employer, participant, or another third party must pay the difference.

As of January 3, 2025, seven employers from the Poltava, Kyiv, Sumy, Rivne, and Cherkasy regions have requested training. Women are set to be trained in professions such as tractor driver-machinist in agricultural (forestry) production, forklift driver, trolleybus driver, electric and gas welder, and woodworking machine operator.

At the same time, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the State Employment Service has employed women in such conventionally "male" professions as:

• gas station operator – 2,029 women;
• pumping plant operator – 719 women;
• conveyor operator – 450 women;
• mechanical assembly mechanic – 314 women;
• loader – 203 women;
• vehicle driver – 189 women;
• rifleman – 174 women;
• miner – 166 women;
• repair mechanic – 120 women;
• fuel supply operator – 58 women;
• wood product presser – 38 women;
• tractor driver – 27 women;
• plumbing mechanic – 24 women;
• forester – 18 women.

For reference:

The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine announced that Ukrainian projects for training female truck and bus drivers have joined the global network "Women in Transport" (WiT).

Rubryka highlighted the story of volunteers from the Repair Together initiative, who defy stereotypes by working on construction sites to help victims of Russian aggression restore destroyed homes. Read more in Rubryka's article: "All-women teams in Ukraine defy stereotypes and rebuild homes destroyed by war."