The USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Programme is providing $1.8 million for a new initiative aimed at upgrading the skills and retraining of specialists in line with the needs of the modern market. This was reported by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
It is known that the programme consists of 8 components with a budget of $230,000 each. The initiative will run from November 2024 to 30 June 2025.
Organisations and companies are invited to apply for one or more of the programme’s components:
Component 1: Building a sustainable HR community to support Ukrainian business and labour market.
Component 2: Upskilling and retraining of specialists in key sectors of the economy to facilitate their employability.
Component 3: Increasing the involvement of the private sector in the training of specialists through the development of corporate social responsibility.
Component 4: Expanding employment opportunities for veterans, IDPs, people with disabilities, women and youth through social enterprises.
Component 5: Supporting construction and logistics companies in hiring women, youth, people with disabilities, veterans and IDPs.
Component 6: Integration of veterans, IDPs, persons with disabilities, women and youth into the labour market through comprehensive support.
Component 7: Establishing partnerships between vocational education and the private sector for professional development.
Component 8: Sectoral partnerships initiative for the employment of students and young professionals.
More details and information on how to apply can be found here.
The Ministry emphasises that the project will help young people, veterans, people with disabilities and IDPs to realise their potential by providing them with the skills needed for promising professions. Particular attention is paid to supporting women seeking to master professions previously dominated by men.
The programme also aims to strengthen cooperation between the private sector and vocational education, create new jobs and equip job seekers with the necessary skills to develop in key sectors of the economy.
Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko stressed that the labour shortage is a serious problem for businesses and the government is working to address it through training programmes.
‘According to Gradus Research, 88% of Ukrainians are ready to change their profession, with 45% of women considering working in areas previously statistically dominated by men. Thenew USAID programme will help improve the labour market situation in key sectors such as construction and logistics,’ the agency said.
