WorldSkills Ukraine was organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine together with the Federation of Employers of Ukraine. Metinvest supports this competition for the third year in a row after Ukraine has joined WorldSkills International. This is the world's largest competition in vocational skills among young people, students and workers aged 18 to 24. This year the competition brought together 190 participants from all regions of Ukraine, and its site was visited by over 1,000 people.
Liliya Hrynevych, the Minister of Education and Science:
- I am thankful to all employers who attended this platform. We finally see the right trend when searching for talents, the private companies begin to invest to make the jobs attractive. Most of the vacancies in the labour market that are well paid look for talents. Scarce jobs pushed many employers into educational cooperation. They understand they need to take talents under patronage while at school and later offer them jobs. By the way, next year budget includes partial financing to support organizational efforts of the Ministry of Education and Science and Education Departments.
Dmitry Oleynik, the Council Head of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine:
- Ukraine is shaped by successful people who dream and act. I saw such people in today's competition. I saw those who organized this event - the Ministry of Education, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, and Metinvest, the general partner and initiator of Ukraine joining WorldSkills. Young people inspire by their desire to prove they are the best in their professions. They believe and lead others. This competition and these young people, organizers and partners create an opportunity to make our country more economically developed and competitive.
Aleksandr Pimkin, acting HR and Social Policy Director, Metinvest Group:
- We decided to support this competition because such platforms are an excellent opportunity for employers, job seekers and schools to meet each other. Metinvest enterprises offer the most attractive terms and conditions to young professionals both in terms of salary and development. We create the tools that help a graduate of a specialized school to build the career in two years and grow from a shop-floor worker into a foreman and from an engineer to a department head, shop manager or area supervisor.
Metinvest Group takes a system approach to the development of professional technical education. Together with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, the company develops professional and educational standards for shop-floor workers, which are then approved and enforced on the state level.
In cities, where Metinvest enterprises are located, we offer educational programs for the youth. Since 2017, the company has been investing in STEM education, where we use entertainment to teach about science, technologies, engineering, and mathematics. The company conducts vocational awareness programs, technical hackathons, and supports engineering competitions for young people.