EdUp: Improving Professional Education in Ukraine

The Social Challenge

A skilled workforce to rebuild Ukraine

The war has profoundly affected Ukraine’s economy and professional education system. It has led to the devastation of critical infrastructure and forced migration and internal displacement. The result is a limited workforce despite the country’s desperate need for skilled professionals for reconstruction.

To address this challenge, Swisscontact has partnered with public and private sector entities to transform Ukraine’s vocational training system. This partnership aims to bridge the gap between market demand and educational offerings, providing economic opportunities for thousands of Ukrainians.

The Partnership

Public Private Partnership to Improved Professional Education in Ukraine (EdUP)

The Partners

• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
• Geberit Trading LLC
• Sika Ukraine LLC 

The Idea and the Action

EdUP is a public-private initiative implemented by Swisscontact and financed by SDC, Geberit Trading LLC and Sika Ukraine LLC, with support from Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science. Its primary objective is to align the vocational education and training (VET) system with labor market demands, equipping Ukraine’s future workforce with relevant skills for the country’s reconstruction and enhancing their employment opportunities.

The partnership's success is driven by an innovative financial model that engages private companies in vocational education, offers training for businesses on social responsibility, shifts the private sector's approach from charity to social partnership and focuses on economic opportunities and business promotion for partners

Geberit and Sika contribute financially and introduce new technologies in VET schools, influencing the Ukrainian market. National and international business leaders and industry associations collaborate with EdUP to supply quality equipment and training for 6,000 VET program graduates, projected to earn $5.5 million in additional income. They also incentivize the adoption of innovative apprenticeships by 254 companies across Ukraine

The partnership’s unique “Inclusive Systems Development” achieves sustainable impact through:

• Analysis of root issues in the VET system, particularly in the construction sector
• Conflict analysis to avoid exacerbating gender, social, political and economic disparities
• Inclusion of local corporate leaders to devise holistic, tailored solutions
• Local capacity building of 29 technical vocational training schools across all Ukrainian provinces
• Proprietary Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) system and a Steering Committee with private and public partners for adaptive partnership management

EdUP promotes VET as a competitive career choice, introduces international industry standards and incorporates innovative technologies and teaching models in collaboration with the private sector. The partnership also rebuilds the infrastructure of TVET schools in Ukraine’s frontline regions, responding to war-related damage and destruction.

Initiated in 2020, the partnership has expanded its focus to vocational training for six crucial professions for Ukraine’s economic recovery. It emphasizes support for vulnerable groups, including war veterans, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returning Ukrainians, with a strong commitment to ensuring equal access for women.

About 60% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed since the war began. In response, EdUP added an infrastructure component in April 2024 to improve educational capacity of VET schools and introduce new technologies in classrooms (e.g. solar panels, shatter-resistant glass) to replace outdated Soviet-era solutions. Also, the partnership is constructing underground shelters at 10 frontline VET schools, offering safe learning environments and refuge during crises.

The Impact

The partnership has positively impacted the education system by:

• Establishing apprenticeships with over 100 committed businesses, ensuring a truly dual learning model, where businesses and VET schools collaboratively develop and deliver educational programs that meet market needs
• Empowering 25 TVET schools to modernize their curricula, teaching methodologies and management practices
• Benefitting over 3400 professionals through the new learning model, leading to 30% higher employability of VET-students
• Creating a continuing education series called “Innovation in Modern Plumbing Education” for over 80 vocational schoolteachers and training 74 in new teaching methods
• Providing sanitary materials for 10 vocational schools hosting over 700 internally displaced people

The current partnership phase (2023-2027) aims to quadruple the impact of the previous phase, emphasizing an inclusive learning environment and the digitization of the education system. This trajectory is expected to enable Ukraine to access Western markets and, with international partners such as Swisscontact, lay the groundwork for the country’s renewal. 

The Faculty Insight

Traditional models of education must evolve to meet the new demands of the 21st century economy. Three key external forces are challenging the historical “learn and then earn” archetype: workforce disruption, educational gaps and inequality. Rapid technological changes are reshaping jobs and career paths, while traditional education systems struggle to keep pace with the demands of the modern economy. Simultaneously, persistent disparities in access to education and opportunities hinder economic mobility. 

In Ukraine, the need for an education system that develops a skilled workforce is even more critical, as the country faces the task of reconstructing its war-disrupted infrastructure and economy.

Both the private sector and universities have crucial roles to play in creating economic opportunities, providing employment stability, and offering flexible job-relevant training.  Embracing a lifelong-learning approach is essential, as continuous education is key to maintaining relevance in a changing or tumultuous job market. These institutions can also promote equity by ensuring universal access necessary skills and opportunities. However, achieving these goals requires collaborative leadership across sectors to address these challenges holistically. 

The EdUP partnership exemplifies how the private sector and education system can collaborate to meet industry needs and address broader economic challenges. By sharing expertise to tailor skills-training programs, private companies ensure workers have relevant skills for employment and economic mobility, while securing a skilled workforce for their long-term success.

At the Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning, we offer pathways to both individuals and to companies seeking to provide mobility to their employees. Our recent research project, Managing Up:  Management Education as a Ladder to Mobility, conducted in partnership with The Burning Glass Institute, shows a vast untapped talent pool of 10.1 million workers in skills-aligned roles who could reach opportunities through life-long education.

Our research indicates that over 10 million current workers in skilled technical positions could become first-time managers through managerial training. This training represents new and expanded pathways to management roles, offering broader access than the traditional bachelor’s degree route. Our analysis of millions of observed transitions and skills pathways into leadership from frontline position suggests that technical leadership skills often comprise the final step between skilled workers and leaders. This finding suggests that universities offering business education in new formats can play a significant role in promoting mobility by providing meaningful certifications in leadership and management outside of the traditional degree track.

The Darden School of Business’ Institute for Business in Society partners with Concordia and the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships to present the annual P3 Impact Award, which recognizes leading public-private partnerships that improve communities around the world. This year’s award will be presented at the Concordia Annual Summit the week of 23 September 2024. The five finalists will be highlighted on Darden Ideas to Action on Fridays leading up to the event.

This article was developed with the support of Darden’s Institute for Business in Society where Maggie Morse is director of programs. Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning provides the P3 Impact Award winner a scholarship to attend a week-long program at the Darden School of Business.