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🤝 Vocational Education and Business: Synergy for the Future of Ukraine’s Reconstruction

The construction sector plays a key role in the country’s recovery process, yet its development is impossible without a qualified workforce. In the context of a significant labor shortage, especially in the vocational education segment, effective cooperation between businesses and educational institutions has become a top priority.

The CBU Business Day, held on June 18, 2025, with the support of the Bridging Skills for Construction project within the Skills4Recovery Multi-Donor Initiative, served as a powerful platform to address challenges in training specialists for the construction industry. The event brought together representatives of government, business, and education to exchange experience and build a shared vision for the sector’s sustainable development.

CBU initiated an open dialogue between construction sector companies and vocational education institutions. This collaboration makes it possible not only to identify the real needs of employers but also to adapt training programs to the current demands of the labor market.

📍 During the discussion of practical cooperation cases, leading business representatives shared their experience:

👤Leonid Koretsky, Deputy Chairman of the Board of "Trest Zhytlobud-1"

🔸Systemic cooperation between business and educational institutions ensures high-quality training of professionals. Over 100 workshops and training centers have been created for professions such as painter, sanitary systems installer, and electrical technologies technician. Within the EdUP projects, infrastructure has been modernized — including dormitory renovations, the opening of shelters, and the update of curricula in line with labor market needs. This approach enables the annual training of competitive workers in the most in-demand construction professions.

👤 Vitalii Vereshchagin, General director of Caparol Ukraine

🔸The synergy of business and education is the fusion of knowledge and practice that fosters real craftsmanship. CAPAROL Ukraine has been cooperating with vocational institutions for nearly 10 years, including the Synergy College in Kyiv, as well as institutions in Kharkiv and Dnipro. The company invests in education, implements dual training, organizes internships, workshops, joint training groups, and professional development for teachers. Both students and instructors train directly with the manufacturer, work with modern materials, master cutting-edge technologies, and receive certification. This provides practical training, real-world experience, and access to current market solutions. The result is skilled professionals ready to meet the challenges of modern construction and an increase in the prestige of vocational professions in Ukraine.

👤 Dmytro Firsov, Head of Engineering Department, “VEKA Ukraine” LLC

🔸VEKA Ukraine actively implements European approaches to workforce training: it conducts in-house training for its employees, organizes internships and site visits for students, and cooperates with vocational institutions and the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (KNUCA) as part of dual education programs. The company also participates in establishing training and practical centers in collaboration with industry associations, ensuring quality preparation of specialists for the window systems market.

👤 Margarita Romanova, Sales and Marketing Director, “BARK Systems” LLC

🔸Due to a critical shortage of specialists in ventilated façade installation, the company launched its own workforce training initiative, organizing 13 off-site seminars for over 800 vocational students and teachers across Ukraine. Upon identifying strong interest in the profession but a complete lack of formal training, the company — supported by the National Qualifications Agency, the Construction Workers’ Union of Ukraine, and industry-specific organizations — initiated the development and implementation of a professional standard for this specialty.

👤 Yulia Skichko, Owner, “VBK Elit-Proektbud” LLC (Alef Stroy)

🔸A successful example of business–education collaboration is the Alef Stroy School for Construction Equipment Operators, established by VBK ELIT-PROEKTBUD in partnership with Nemishaieve Vocational College. A distinguishing feature of the project is training women in non-traditional professions, providing full support and employment after graduation. The company effectively cooperates with its female graduates, proving that women can thrive in technical roles within the construction sector.

👤 Borys Nikolenko, Director, “Imperatyv UA” LLC

🔸The business sector openly acknowledges a significant gap between vocational education and actual labor market needs: educational institutions do not train the specialists required, and companies must retrain staff on their own. Key issues include outdated programs, a shortage of instructors, lack of coordination with employers, and the low prestige of vocational occupations. Business representatives emphasize that without government support and updated approaches to training, maintaining export-oriented business in Ukraine will become increasingly difficult.

👤 Oleksandr Yamenko, Head of Technical Service Department, “Henkel Bautechnik (Ukraine)” LLC

🔸For over 20 years, the company has actively supported workforce training by establishing up to 30 resource centers across Ukraine, reaching more than 17,000 participants annually. Despite these efforts, there remains a severe shortage of qualified professionals, particularly in the area of construction mixes — a relatively young but fast-growing sector. Through collaboration with over 30 educational institutions, international partners, and civil society organizations, Henkel develops educational materials, implements standards, and works to improve the effectiveness of vocational education in Ukraine.

👤 Oleksandr Sokyrkin, Head of Training and Technical Support Division, “HERZ Ukraine”

🔸The company actively cooperates with educational institutions to prepare specialists capable of professionally installing modern engineering equipment. With its own HERZ Academy, the company trains designers and future installers, participates in professional skills competitions, and supports social initiatives. These activities contribute to raising the standard of technical education and nurturing a new generation of highly skilled professionals in the heating and water supply sectors.

💬 Participants emphasized that modern specialists must possess not only classical technical knowledge but also up-to-date digital skills and be prepared to work with new materials and equipment. This is why employers are deeply interested in close cooperation with educational institutions — from internships and dual education to joint program development and updating educational content.

📚 Representatives of vocational education institutions with successful experience in such collaboration also joined the dialogue:

👤Tetyana Pron, Deputy Director for Educational and Production Work, Kyiv Vocational College of Civil Engineering

🔸This is one of the largest and most adaptable vocational institutions in the capital, with 650 students, half of whom are pursuing construction-related specialties. The college is actively developing: qualification centers for electric welders and sanitary equipment installers have been established, educational programs are being updated, and work is underway to implement a professional standard for concrete structure assemblers. The institution covers nearly all areas of construction, responding to the current needs of the labor market.

👤 Oleksandr Slobodyanyk, Acting Director, Bila Tserkva Higher Vocational School of Construction and Services

🔸The school is actively evolving through cooperation with businesses, particularly with Ukraine’s largest furniture manufacturer — the Kyiv Standard factory. Thanks to this partnership, the school has updated its facilities, installed modern equipment, and trained instructors, enabling students to acquire practical skills aligned with today’s production requirements. The school offers short-term training programs, cooperates with the International Labour Organization, and demonstrates openness to flexible learning formats.

During the Business Day of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine, at the extended meeting of the Board of Directors of the CBU, a decision was made to establish the CBU Committee on Cooperation with Educational Institutions and Industry Workforce Development and to initiate the development of a professional standard for the concrete worker profession in partnership with the The Public-Private Partnership for Improving Vocational Education in Ukraine (EdUP), supported by Swisscontact.

📢 The Confederation of Builders of Ukraine will continue to promote initiatives aimed at sustainable industry development and the professional realization of new generations of Ukrainian specialists.

🌐 Read more about the key topics discussed at CBU Business Day at the link:

https://kbu.org.ua/en/news/the-cbu-business-day-and-the-extended-meeting-of-the-board-of-directors-of-the-cbu-took-place 

📸 Photo galleries:

👉 Album 1:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1140327234780307&type=3 

👉 Album 2:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1140467504766280&type=3 

Organizers: Confederation of Builders of Ukraine

Strategic business-partners of the CBU: East Office of Finnish Industries Oy, SKAKO Concrete A/S, NOCON NORWEGIAN CONSTRUCTION AS

Industry partner: CONSTRUCTION WORKERS' UNION of UKRAINE - Profbud

Partners: The multi-donor initiative Skills4Recovery is funded by the European Union, Germany, Poland, and Estonia. It is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Solidarity Fund PL (SFPL).

With the support of: All-Ukrainian NGO “Living Planet”

Information partners: ProfBuild, Build Portal, Property Times, StroyObzor, Ukrainian Pohliad, NewsWeek, Marketer, Chas Pershykh

WE WILL WIN AND REBUILD EVERYTHING! 💪

TOGETHER TO VICTORY! 

GLORY TO UKRAINE! 💙💛