EDUFI continues to support the reform of vocational education and training in Ukraine
The aim of the project is to improve the capacity of VET institutions to offer VET that corresponds to the current and future needs of the Ukrainian labour market. The project supports the implementation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine’s Renewed VET for Ukraine strategy, especially its goals of modernising and digitalising the content of VET, improving the competence of educational institutions and teachers and supporting the recovery of people who have suffered from the war. The project contributes in its part to Ukraine’s path towards EU membership.
- Finland has previously participated in a project aimed at developing VET in Ukraine together with Germany, Poland, Estonia and the European Commission. Planning is also currently underway on a new, more extensive Team Europe Initiative (TEI) project for developing VET in Ukraine in 2026. The Bridge2Skills project currently being implemented serves as a bridge between these two multinational projects for Finland, says the project manager of the project, Counsellor of Education Hanna Autere from EDUFI.
Focus on training teachers and management and developing qualifications
The Bridge2Skills project is being implemented in three regions (Volyn, Kyiv and Ternopil) at a total of ten pilot institutions. The project is divided into three sub-projects:
- Sub-project 1: Training of VET institution managers
- Sub-project 2: Training of VET teachers
- Sub-project 3: Development of vocational qualifications
Finnish higher education institutions involved in the implementation
The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Finnish National Agency for Education and representatives of Finnish universities of applied sciences. The Finnish National Agency for Education is responsible for the project activities related to the development of VET at the system level and for overall project management. The Finnish National Agency for Education also organised a call for tenders for the implementation of training programmes for the managers of educational institutions and VET teachers in October–November 2024. The contract was awarded to a consortium headed by Häme University of Applied Sciences and JAMK University of Applied Sciences, which also includes Hyria Education Ltd and a local partner in Ukraine, Osvitoria NGO.
- It is a great honour for us to serve as the Finnish National Agency for Education’s partner in this project, which will provide us with an opportunity to develop VET in Ukraine at the practical level, says Leading Senior Specialist Maaret Viskari from Häme University of Applied Sciences.
Ukraine is the largest recipient of Finnish development assistance
Supporting VET in Ukraine is now more important than ever for ensuring the availability of skilled labour for the country’s reconstruction. The Government of Ukraine has a clear vision of what kind of reform and support is needed for developing vocational skills. The goal is to build a VET system that is flexible, strong, inclusive and sustainable and promotes the recovery, sustainable economic development and EU rapprochement of Ukraine.
Ukraine is Finland’s largest development assistance partner and recipient of humanitarian aid during the latter’s current government term. The Bridge2Skills project takes into account the cross-cutting objectives of Finnish development policy, including gender equality, non-discrimination, sustainable development and climate resilience. Education has been identified as one of the strengths of Finnish development policy, and through its development cooperation Finland promotes the realisation of high-quality, inclusive and equal opportunities for education, training and lifelong learning for everyone.
Enquiries:
Hanna Autere, Finnish National Agency for Education, hanna.autere [at] oph.fi
Maaret Viskari, Häme University of Applied Sciences, maaret.viskari [at] hamk.fi