A career guidance hub has opened at the Interregional High Vocational School of Automotive Transport and Construction in Lviv. Here schoolchildren will have the opportunity to ‘try on’ different professions to understand what they like. The space was created as part of the ‘Support for Vocational Education Reform in Ukraine’ initiative of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project in cooperation with the Lviv City Council.

The idea behind creating a hub is to combine career guidance for schoolchildren, practical training for vocational school students, and training sessions. This will help increase young people’s motivation to pursue vocational education.

‘This hub was created as part of the support that Switzerland is providing for vocational education reform in Ukraine. The main idea is for it to become a platform for cooperation between businesses, educational institutions and the government, encouraging children in Ukraine to choose to live and develop professionally in their own country. In fact, it is a showcase for vocational education, with modern equipment enabling every child to sample different professions with the support of vocational training masters, vocational school students and business specialists. And this is only the first step in promoting blue-collar professions,’ says Valentyna Poltorak, Deputy Head of the DOCCU NGO and DECIDE Project Manager.

The renovated premises cover a total area of over 270 square metres. Modern equipment, furniture, and appliances have been purchased.

‘I was impressed by the design of this hub. I think that, in the future, we will modernise all our vocational schools together to make them just as modern and welcoming. After all, today it is not easy to find a good tiler or plumber — there are long waiting lists for them. Instead, Ukraine often has a cult of higher education without realising what to do with it next. I am convinced that if we introduce children to spaces like this, they will be more inclined to choose blue-collar professions,’ emphasises Andrii Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv.

The career guidance hub has a training area and eight practical locations that offer students the opportunity to learn about different professions and acquire basic practical skills in the following professions:

• a driver;
• an information technology (IT) operator;
• a wheel transport repair mechanic;
• a welder;
• a plumber;
• a carpenter;
• a machine operator (turner).

‘This hub showcases in-demand professions in our economy. Here, you can view work stands and engineering networks, learn how they are constructed and installed, and try out professions such as welder, machinist or builder with the help of virtual reality technology. We are open five days a week and work with all secondary education institutions — it depends on their preferences and willingness to visit us. During school excursions, vocational training masters and students will be on hand at each location to help groups of people try their hand at various fields. We strive to break the stereotype that vocational education is inferior, unpromising or outdated,’ says Nazar Zakal, director of the Interregional Higher Vocational School of Automotive Transport and Construction.

The total budget for the project is over UAH 8.5 million, of which over UAH 2 million is co-financing from the Lviv City Council.

‘Simply creating academic and vocational lyceums as part of the senior school reform is not enough. It is also necessary to establish the appropriate conditions that enable children to make informed choices. The career guidance hub is a striking example of this. Above all, it exemplifies the synergy between international organisations, the Ministry of Education and Science, regional administrations, and local authorities. All this is being done for the sake of children, who will be able to choose a profession that suits them, giving them confidence and independence,’ states Oleh Paska, Head of the Department of Education and Science of the Lviv Regional State Administration.

There are currently 10 such locations in Ukraine. They are based in vocational education institutions in six regions: Kyiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Odesa, and Ivano-Frankivsk. After the piloting of career guidance hubs, there will be even more.