About opportunities for VET education in Ukraine – 1+1 TV Channel live studio talk (23.12.2024)
Formation of an attractive vocational education system, preservation of human capital for the reconstruction of Ukraine: the EU supports the development of vocational education in Ukraine.
How to educate and train a generation of modern specialists for labour market was discussed in the TSN live studio of the 1+1 TV channel with Viktoria Baliuta, advisor on the implementation of Skills4Recovery projects, and Svitlana Shytikova, coordinator of the EU Erasmus+ Program, as part of the communication campaign “Together We Learn and Grow“ with the support of the European Union.
In particular, the coordinator of NEO in Ukraine answered the following questions of 1+1 journalists and provided materials:
– Do European donors have an understanding of what kind of working specialties are lacking in the Ukrainian market? How do you know who is needed most?
The European Commission provides funding for research, including in the field of vocational education, and focuses on the professions and competencies of the future. The last year of the European Commission‘s activity was called Year of Skills and all activities and studies were carried out on this topic. Moreover, projects within the Erasmus+ Program are initiated on the basis of key priorities, where there is always a focus on human capital development: inclusion and diversity, digital and green transformations and common values, and active involvement of young people in civic life.
– Does the new profession guarantee employment? To strengthen the chances of employment, educational institutions intensify work with employment centers, with employers, create career development centers for graduates, and train students. They even involve employers to modernize educational programs so that they become more practice–oriented.
One of the current projects in the context of new labor market demands is the project CBVET BEM “BEYOND EUROPE WITH MICRO–CREDENTIALS“. This project is coordinated by the Saxon Educational Society for Environmental Protection and Professions Related to Chemistry (Germany), and partners from Ukraine are: Educational and Methodological Center for Vocational Education in Donetsk Region; National Qualifications Agency; State Educational Institution “Dniprorudne Professional Lyceum“; Rokytne Professional Lyceum. The BEM project aims to develop micro–credentials that meet the needs of specific sectors in countries or target groups that are only marginally covered by the education system.
– Are internships abroad possible – for those who study and teach?
Within the framework of the EU Erasmus+ Program, there are opportunities to create joint projects with EU partners between vocational education institutions, or VET providers and organizations that are active in the labor market, as defined by the program. Such projects also perform activities for teacher training – trainings for trainers – during study visits, develop modern educational programs and teaching methodologies, purchase innovative equipment for teaching students and involve students in cooperation with fellow students from EU Member States.
Youth mobility projects are also being implemented with the participation of students and teachers of vocational education institutions, thanks to synergy with the EU4Skills team. Summer and winter schools are held on SDG topics.
Since 2022, 10 projects have been implemented to develop the capacity of VET education, 97 partners from 21 countries in cooperation with 27 VET education providers from Ukraine in partnerships, and 15 projects of strategic cooperation partnerships, with funding from 100 thousand to 400 thousand euros, although the EU can support many more such projects.
The biggest challenge for the active participation of vocational education institutions in international projects is still insufficient level of proficiency in a foreign language, in particular English, of teachers and students at VET schools.
The video can be watched (2:31:04 / 5:58:30) by following the link on the TV 1+1 channel at the link.