School education will change: MES plans to combine education with a profession from 2027 (video)
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine announced a serious update of approaches to secondary education, which involves the integration of professional training directly into school education. According to Iryna Shumyk, head of the vocational education department of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports, from 2027 Ukrainian schoolchildren will be able not only to get a certificate, but also to get their first profession.
The idea is that in the senior classes of general high school, students have the opportunity to simultaneously master basic general education subjects and simultaneously study one of the in-demand labor specialties. It is about a full-fledged combination of traditional education with a practical component – exactly the kind that will allow you to immediately work in your specialty after graduation.
“This is a unique opportunity to finish school and acquire a profession. We are always criticized for boring physics or mathematics. Now we are working on new programs, where the professional component will be integrated with the general educational ones.” — explained Iryna Shumyk.
The Ministry of Education and Culture is developing new educational programs that should bridge the gap between theory, which is often not applied, and the real needs of the labor market. The changes are focused primarily on senior grades — 10-11, and in the future — on the 9th grade as well, where students will be able to make an informed choice between academic continuation of their studies or a focus on professional training.
In addition to updating the content of educational programs, active cooperation between schools and institutions of professional and technical education is envisaged to ensure students access to laboratories, workshops and teachers with practical experience.
Implementation of changes is planned for 2027. This means that the stage of development, piloting and approval of new standards and programs is currently underway. The MES emphasizes: the reform does not cancel basic general education, but adds practical weight to it – so that after school the graduate has not only knowledge, but also a professional tool to start in life.
This is one of the steps in a broader strategy of updating the content of education, which involves greater flexibility, orientation to the needs of students, regional specificity and compliance with modern challenges — from digitalization to energy autonomy.
