As Ukraine continues to navigate the immense challenges of war, displacement, and recovery, the country’s long-term resilience is increasingly anchored in a robust, modern skills system. At the center of this effort stands the vocational education and training (VET) sector - now undergoing one of its most significant reforms in decades.
At the Serpneva–2025 Conference, Ukraine’s leading national education forum, the adoption of the new Law “On Vocational Education” was announced and welcomed by more than 500 participants, including educators, policymakers, and international partners. This law introduces long-awaited changes: simplified licensing, updated curricula aligned with business needs, financial autonomy for colleges, independent graduate assessments, and a progressive transformation of VET schools into Professional Colleges with full academic rights.
Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko, in her keynote address, emphasized that education must continue uninterrupted, even in the face of crisis. She highlighted the government’s vision of safe schools, modern labs, updated programs, and strong teachers as the foundation of an inclusive and forward-looking education system.
Swisscontact, through the EdUP project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has been instrumental in supporting this reform’s transition from legislative milestone to tangible outcomes. In line with Switzerland’s long-term commitment to human capital development in Ukraine, the EdUP project is actively investing in infrastructure upgrades in VET colleges across the country. These upgrades include the creation of safe, well-equipped learning spaces, critical not only for the continuity of learning, but also for restoring trust in public education amid conflict.
Beyond infrastructure, EdUP has introduced innovations aimed at bridging the gap between education and employment. At Serpneva–2025, Swisscontact’s Project Manager, Yuliia Yepifanova, presented the Junior platform, a digital tool developed in partnership with the League of Masters, which helps VET graduates gain hands-on experience and access employment opportunities. Directors from Swisscontact-supported VET institutions also shared concrete lessons on modernizing workshops and updating training content, offering replicable practices for peer institutions across the country.
The thematic focus of the conference, spanning “Content, Teacher, and Space”, underscored the multidimensional nature of education reform. Sessions emphasized the integration of inclusion, mental health support, accessibility, and digitalization, all of which are priorities within Swisscontact’s systemic approach. These topics are not peripheral, they are fundamental to building a resilient and responsive VET ecosystem, particularly as Ukraine anticipates large-scale reconstruction needs across sectors such as construction, energy, healthcare, and agriculture.
Swisscontact’s EdUP project stands as a model of how international cooperation can strengthen national ownership of reform. Rather than acting as a parallel structure, EdUP aligns with Ukraine’s own priorities, supporting ministries, schools, and educators in implementing change from within.
As Ukraine works toward post-war recovery and European integration, investing in vocational education is both a practical and strategic choice. It is a means to deliver employability, equity, and economic resilience - and a way to provide young people with tangible hope for the future.
In this effort, the partnership between Switzerland and Ukraine continues to grow in shared commitment to quality, inclusion, and long-term reform.