Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine confirmed an experimental project aimed at training women in professions traditionally dominated by men. This initiative will allow Ukrainian women to master more than 30 specialties at state expense and to find employment in areas where their presence was less.
First Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliya Svyridenko noted:
“This program will help women learn new professions where they were previously underrepresented. Women will be able to master more than 30 professions at state expense, including those most in demand among employers. The business will have the opportunity to prepare the necessary specialists for itself, the lack of which it now acutely feels“.
Among the professions that women will be able to master within the framework of the project are tram, trolleybus, and forklift drivers, machine operators with software control, milling machines, and installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems.
The training will be carried out at the request of the employer, who undertakes to employ the participants after completing the course. To order training, the employer must contact the employment center, which pays for training in the amount of no more than 10 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons (as of today, UAH 30,280). If the tuition fee exceeds this amount, the difference can be paid by the employer or the project participant.
Director of the State Employment Service, Yuliya Zhovtyak, reported that women began to master traditionally male professions more often. In particular, since the beginning of 2024, 250 women have trained as machine operators in Ukraine, and 86 have become crane operators. This trend indicates the growing interest of women in new professions and the willingness of businesses to attract them to non-typical positions.
The launch of this program is an important step in overcoming gender stereotypes and expanding opportunities for women in the labor market of Ukraine.
It is worth noting that until 2017 there were restrictions on more than 450 professions for women in Ukraine. December 22, 2017, Ministry of Health canceled Order No. 256, which defined the list of professions prohibited for women. This decision became an important step in ensuring gender equality in the labor market.
