Public Private Partnership to Improved Professional Education in Ukraine

The project

The “Public Private Partnership to Improved Professional Education” is a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in partnership with Geberit Trading LLC, Sika Ukraine LLC implemented by Swisscontact with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The overall objective of the project is to create better employment and income opportunities for construction professionals graduating from Ukrainian VET schools. It promotes VET as a worldwide competitive career choice, by introducing international industry standards and close collaboration with businesses in the framework of the dual VET system.

The project facilitates the transformation of 29 local VET schools across Ukraine towards active skills development and labour market actors, by improving their education and training programs, establishing sustainable practices for better school management, and building long-term partnerships with private sector companies. A better environment for VET means better skilled graduates, leading to more and better jobs and an increased income

The project supports schools with capacity building activities for teachers and school staff, in-school investments, the establishment of sustainable support systems and business platform, etc. Under the project’s support, VET providers are capacitated to undertake activities on their own, thus ensuring the sustainability.

In April 2024, the infrastructure component was added to the EdUP project. The Scale UP initiative, led by EdUP, is a transformative project aimed at rehabilitating vocational education and training (VET) schools in the frontline regions of Ukraine. The project is a response to the significant losses suffered by the VET sector as a result of Russia's military aggression, which resulted in the destruction of dozens of schools and damage to more than a hundred others. Through Scale UP, EdUP aims not only to rebuild but also to improve the infrastructure and educational capacity of these schools, ensuring that they are equipped to meet modern educational standards and the needs of the labour market.

Project Goals (2020 - 2023)

Strengthening training institutes and training young adults in plumbing:
Making plumbing education internationally competitive, introducing New Ways of Learning and applying international industry standards. Swisscontact helps local training institutions to upgrade their training curricula and teaching methodologies, as well as to structure their management more efficiently while fostering active exchange with local and national plumbing experts.
Promoting private sector engagement in VET:
The project aims at bringing businesses into schools and schools into businesses, by establishing long-term apprenticeships and committed businesses, assuring a truly dual learning approach that meets the needs of businesses.
Market development for local skilled plumbers:
Raising the employability of (former) VET-students in plumbing and jobseekers by making (life-long) learning relevant and attractive and by extending career guidance.

Project Goals (2023 - 2027)

The primary goal of the EdUP Project is to develop the vocational education system in construction professions with the support of the private sector. This will enable young people and adults, including war veterans, internally displaced persons, and Ukrainians returning from abroad, to acquire skills tailored to the needs of the labour market and earn more money. The project aims to provide women and men with equal access to professional training in the construction sector.

Students will receive training in six different professions at 29 vocational education institutions in Ukraine, including plumbers, facade insulators, welders, electricians, tilers, and concrete workers.

The aim of Scale UP, as part of the EdUP project, is to rehabilitate selected vocational schools using an inclusive market system approach under the adage "Build Back Better".

VET system recovery in line with the economic and labour market needs.
Ensuring that the content and quality of VET are in line with the modern needs of the labour market.
VET is a prestigious and popular educational trajectory.
Granting of real financial autonomy to VET institutions.

Project partner

Geberit Trading LLC
Sika Ukraine LLC

Expected Outcomes

Women and men have access to a performing, labour market-oriented education and training offer in the construction sector.
The private sector takes responsibility in the definition, provision and financing of VET in the construction sector at the provider level.

Expected Outcomes of the Scale UP-initiative

Over 5000 VET school students, teachers and staff receive access to safe shelters that double as classrooms
Reduced heating costs for VET schools
Inclusive infrastructure
Career and psychosocial counselling support for war veterans and adults
State-of-the-art training equipment

Planned Intervention Areas - Skills for Recovery

Diversification of offer: innovative curricula design and implementation, including recognition of prior learnings RPL, upskilling and retraining of adults
New ways of Learning: enabling infrastructure, learning materials and teacher trainings
Private Sector Engagement: strengthening business relations on provider level, high-quality work-based learning, strengthening the platform for business participation in VET governance
Organisational Development: VET school management, image campaign for VET (heroes of reconstruction), labour market insertion measures (such as career orientation and guidance, support for self-employment)
Infrastructure component: additional support to 10 VET institutions located in Ukraine's southern and eastern regions

Results

Main achievements of Phase 2 (2020 - 2023)

A total of 2444 students enrolled in the plumbing professions, including 18 females. Since project start, more than 3400 plumbing students have benefitted from Improved Plumbing Education. The number of females has increased from 0 in Phase 1 to 18 in Phase 2.
To support e-learning in VET schools, the EdUP project has developed 4 interactive textbooks “Pipes & Fittings”, “Heating”, “Water Supply”, and “Water Sewage” in the form of mobile applications to be used by students, experts, and the public. Private sector companies contributed their video tutorials and provided expert support. The applications are available for free.
The Academy of Directors, offering advanced training for VET school managers resulted in the development of 19 business plans for VET schools to meet the new challenges of future recovery.
In 2021 and 2023 a plumbing skills competition for students attracted more than 280 participants from 22 VET schools all over Ukraine. The contest became a strong motivation for freshmen to learn and choose plumbing as their professional path.
Twice a year, teachers and masters of industrial training updated their knowledge of modern technologies at the Innovation in Modern Plumbing Education Conference series. In total, 4 events were held equaling 13 training days and attracting 18 companies as speakers and presenters. In total, 80+ teachers benefited from such upskilling.
As a crisis response, the project adapted its activities and directed efforts to support VET schools. Since the start of the war, all 25 VET schools received consumables for the education process, while 10 VET schools hosting IDPs received additional sanitary installations and consumables. In total, 700+ IDPs benefited from this support.

Downloads

Fact Sheet EdUP Phase 3, 2023 - 2027

421 kB

Fact Sheet EdUP 2020-2023

264 kB

Project links

News

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