During the discussion, Vodoviz emphasised the crucial role that industry will play in rebuilding the country. According to him, one job at a manufacturing plant creates eight more in related sectors, while industry itself forms the backbone of GDP and will serve as a key driver of post-war reconstruction.
“In Ukraine, it is possible to build a career faster and more easily than in most European countries. After the war ends, these opportunities will only grow,” he said.
Metinvest offers young professionals a clear system of professional development and career progression.
“Everything is clearly set out: after two years, you move to the next level, then to an even higher one, with a specific salary and a transparent career path. Working in a company with 50,000 employees and having the opportunity to manage thousands of people is something not many employers in Ukraine can offer young people,” Vodoviz explained.
He also stressed that the Group already offers salaries that are competitive with those in other European countries. “We are not competing within Ukraine: we are competing across Europe for our people,” he added.
Metinvest is paying particular attention to bringing young people back from abroad. To this end, the Group is developing educational programmes, internships and international career opportunities.
“We are doing everything we can to bring people back: we invite them to study at Metinvest Polytechnic, train engineers and provide them with the latest industry tools,” Vodoviz emphasised.
Opportunities for young people include higher education, internships with leading European steel companies and employment at Metinvest’s international operations for Ukrainians currently living abroad.
As Kostyantyn Moiseenko, Head of the Department of Education Quality Management and Accreditation at Metinvest Polytechnic, explained, the Group is already implementing programmes designed to encourage young people to return to Ukraine.
“We have an effective mechanism: we send students for internships at leading European steel companies and then bring them back with valuable experience, offering them career opportunities at Metinvest. We have also recently launched another initiative: Ukrainians who have moved abroad are first invited to work at the Group’s international assets and then, as their careers progress, to return to Ukraine,” Moiseenko said.
According to Vodoviz, an important factor in encouraging young people to return is maintaining an emotional connection with Ukraine. He also shared his own experience of living abroad.
“When the war began in eastern Ukraine, I left Donetsk for Switzerland, where I worked at major banks. But after four and a half years, I returned. While Europe is slower paced, here everything is much more dynamic. At the Swiss banks, my colleagues became managers at 55. They were shocked that someone could already hold a managerial position at 27. In Ukraine, you can build a career much faster,” Vodoviz concluded.