Partnership formed to enhance professional education in Ukraine's window market

The Ukrainian window business has agreed to cooperate for the development of the vocational education system. The Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation and Development Swisscontact, the executor of the project "Public-Private Partnership for Improving Vocational Education in Ukraine" (EdUP), signed a memorandum with Glas Trösch Ukraine and the Association of Ukrainian Manufacturers of Transparent Structures.

The purpose of the memorandum is to promote the development of vocational education in the field of transparent structures, and to improve the professional skills of teachers and students in vocational education institutions. The business will share resources and experience to train highly qualified specialists.

Areas of cooperation include:

• Creating and using informational and educational materials;
• Conducting joint events: seminars, conferences, training sessions, professional skills competitions;
• Promoting professions in the field of welding technologies;
• Providing consultations on career development for vocational education graduates.

As noted by Mykhailo Orlenko, Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Manufacturers of Transparent Structures, the industry is facing a labor shortage problem. For example, there is a 30-40% shortage of installers of transparent structures. In Mr. Mykhailo's opinion, the joint efforts and experience of the EdUP project will help supply the market with good specialists.

Commenting on the cooperation, Serhiy Sorokun, Commercial Director of Glas Trösch, noted that they previously hired untrained individuals and trained them at the enterprise. It is different when the company receives a qualified worker directly from vocational education. This reduces the time needed to familiarize them with production, and increases the quality and efficiency of their work.

Additionally, within the framework of the EdUP project, ten vocational education institutions will be reconstructed based on the principle of "Building Back Better."