Public Private Partnership to Improved Plumbing Education 

Unemployment among youth is a major national concern in Ukraine, where about 20% of youth are out of job. The main problem in the transition from school to work is imperfect coordination between the education system and the labour market.  The quality of the vocational training system does not meet international standards. As a result, the fast-growing private sector is facing a shortage of skilled labour in several areas, at a time when it must compete on the European market and comply with European standards. Several companies have voiced complaints about a lack of qualified staff. To make up for this shortfall, some of them organise their own training programmes for new employees. 
invalid
kiew, ukraine
50.4501
30.5234
Project duration
2020 - 2023
Financed by
  • Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
  • Geberit

The project

The “Public Private Partnership to Improved Plumbing Education” project is a mandate of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), co-financed by Geberit, with the overall objective to create better employment and income opportunities for plumbers graduating from Ukrainian VET schools. It promotes VET as an internationally 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 six local VET providers 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.  

Project Goals

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 partner

Results

Expected results:

  • Students and trainees receive effective and market-oriented education on the profession of plumbers,
  • Teachers and masters improve their professional and pedagogical competences, new masters are regularly trained.
  • Effective certification system of VET schools’ graduates is introduced
  • Industry Board is created and functional reaching out businesses in the sector and contributing to new employment opportunities of graduates
  • Training and resource centres established within VET schools are self-sustainable
  • Linkages between VET schools and the industry are created
  • New employment and self-employment opportunities for graduates are developed
  • VET graduates and trainees that received plumbing education benefit from a higher income and employment rate.

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News

Ukraine
Initial vocational education and training
13.10.2022
EdUP Stories: How the Project Contributes to Breaking Stereotypes
Mr. Maksym Podzhary, 35, is probably the youngest principal of a vocational school in Ukraine. For the past five years, he has been the head of the Chernihiv Vocational Lyceum of Railway Transport, where he made his way from a student and later a master to the director of the institution.

In the EdUP Project, Maksym was the head of the Supervisory Board (2021-22) and remains an active participant in all Project activities. Here’s his story.
Ukraine
Initial vocational education and training
02.09.2022
VET Schools to Develop Business Plans 
The reconstruction of Ukraine will require qualified personnel, and vocational education institutions will play a leading role in their training. Having this in mind, the Swiss-Ukrainian Public-Private Partnership for the Improved Plumbing Education in Ukraine" (EdUP) Project conducted a five-day training for the management of VET schools – recipients of the Project.
Ukraine
Initial vocational education and training
11.08.2022
Public Private Partnership to improved plumbing education Ukraine: Status Update Summer 2022
It has been almost five months since we first published our status update on the project. We navigated in a turbulent environment strengthening our project resilience and adaptivity. Much has been done since and there are still so many plans before the year-end.