Ukraine

Due to the war's impact and technological advancements, Ukraine faces a shortage of skilled labor across sectors, causing concern among companies. Employers are ready to provide competitive wages and modern resources but face challenges due to stereotypes about vocational school graduates. In response, the government has initiated vocational education reforms, emphasizing decentralized vocational education and training to align skills with local economic needs. The Ministry of Education and Science collaborates with businesses and organizations to enhance professional training quality, attract additional resources, and modernize education.
About Ukraine

Country Facts

  • Area: 603,628 km2
  • Population: 41,8 million
  • Capital: Kyiv

Swisscontact in Ukraine

  • since 2020

Projects

2020 - 2027
Ukraine
Initial vocational education and training
Public Private Partnership to Improved Professional Education in Ukraine
The EdUP project, including its Scale UP initiative, is playing a crucial role in addressing the serious challenges faced by Ukraine's vocational education and training (VET) sector during wartime. The war has destroyed many VET schools and exacerbated a skills shortage that affects several sectors, despite employers' willingness to offer competitive wages and resources. EdUP aims to rebuild and improve vocational schools and break stereotypes about vocational graduates. By decentralising training and aligning it with local economic needs, the project will improve the quality of vocational training, attract additional resources, work with the private sector, and modernise education to equip Ukraine's workforce for today's demands.  
2025 - 2028
Ukraine
Sustainable agriculture, Labour market insertion, Upskilling and Reskilling, Entrepreneurial ecosystems
Empower AgriWomen 
The project strengthens the Ukrainian agricultural sector by supporting female farmers in the Chernihiv region with training, resources, business contacts, and financing opportunities. This enables them to build successful small enterprises and contribute to food security. 
2021 - 2025
Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Colombia, Indonesia, Morocco, North Macedonia, Peru, Serbia, South Africa, Tunisia, Ukraine, Vietnam
Trade, Initial vocational education and training, Entrepreneurial ecosystems, Sustainable tourism
Swiss Import Promotion Programme
The Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) is a well-established mandate of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) within the framework of its economic development cooperation. The programme has been implemented by Swisscontact since 2017 and is now in phase 2 (2021-2025).

The overall objective of SIPPO is to integrate developing and transition countries into world trade. In a facilitation role, SIPPO advises and supports so-called Business Support Organisations (BSOs) in 12 partner countries. Through innovative and targeted export promotion services, BSOs strengthen the export capabilities of companies intending to export and facilitate market access and exports to Switzerland, the EU, and regional markets.

News

Ukraine
Sustainable agriculture
13.05.2025
Empowering Women in Agriculture: Two Trainings Launched in Chernihiv Region 
On May 6–7, 2025, the Swisscontact Empower AgriWomen project organized two parallel two-day training courses at the Nizhyn Agro-Technical Institute in Chernihiv region — one focused on dairy livestock farming, the other on horticulture. These hands-on, theoretical-practical trainings aimed to enhance the professional skills of small-scale women farmers and agripreneurs across rural Ukraine. 
Ukraine
Entrepreneurial ecosystems
25.04.2025
Transformative Training: Ukrainian Furniture Manufacturers Embrace LEAN
From January to April 2025, the LEAN School brought together 39 representatives from Ukrainian furniture companies for intensive, hands-on training in lean manufacturing practices.
Ukraine
Upskilling and Reskilling
25.04.2025
Presentation of the Guidebook to Renovation Works in VET Schools
“The New VET. A Guide to Renovation Works in Vocational Education Schools” is a practical handbook created to rethink educational spaces and elevate the status of vocational education in Ukraine.
Country Director and EdUP Project Manager
Poshan KC

Swisscontact in Ukraine

Swisscontact is implementing a project in Ukraine to foster a decentralized education and vocational training system for plumbers supported by private sector investments. This will enable young people to gain skills tailored to the needs of the labour market, facilitating their entry into the job market and achieve higher incomes.

Collaboration Opportunities
Want to collaborate with Swisscontact? See available opportunities here.
Team
The abilities and readiness for action of our employees are decisive for our projects’ ability to achieve sustainable impact, as well as our long-term success. As an attractive employer, Swisscontact invests in a positive management and work culture...
Jobs
Motivated and productive employees with initiative constitute the most important success factor in all areas of our work. We count on individuals who are looking to the future, impact- and team-oriented, and want to work in international development cooperation.
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Contact

Swisscontact Ukraine
52/17 Volodymyrska St.,
Kyiv, 01030
Ukraine