The forum aims to promote the development of the national economy, human capital and Ukraine’s integration into the European qualification framework. The event was organised by the National Qualifications Agency with the support of Helvetas, a Swiss organisation dedicated to implementing sustainable development initiatives worldwide.
The forum brought together over 5,000 participants both in-person and remotely. More than 50 speakers from Ukraine and other European countries addressed the audience, including representatives of the authorities, government, business, trade unions, educational institutions and qualification centres. Participants discussed the development of the qualifications system, encompassing the creation, updating and enhancement of vocational education and training standards, as well as integration with European standards. The aim is to ensure that Ukrainian qualifications align with international labour market requirements.
At the award ceremony, Oleg Davydenko, director of the Corporate Communications department at Metinvest, said: “This is certainly an important award for Metinvest. The war has not only halved our workforce, but also made adaptability a key principle today. Thanks to the efforts of our qualification centres, women are retraining to become machine operators, while men are acquiring numerous qualifications to replace those who have gone to the front line. Veterans returning from the war can retrain and acquire a new speciality. Our efforts to develop the vocational training system are one of the main factors that help to ensure production and support Ukraine’s economy even during the war.”
He added that 18 Metinvest enterprises have been granted the status of qualification centres, four of them since 2022. These centres certify the level of knowledge, skills and competencies of employees seeking to obtain or confirm their qualifications. Driving the increase in the number of the Group’s centres is the possibility of obtaining qualifications based on informally acquired knowledge and skills through assessment at them without the need for formal training.
In addition, Metinvest has expanded the list of professions for which qualifications can be awarded or validated through the centres to 35% of the total.
The Group is also working on developing professional standards: to improve the efficiency of employee training, it continuously updates or creates qualification requirements for the main shop-floor positions.
To date, Metinvest’s qualification centres have reviewed 22 professional standards and 1,700 employees of the Group’s industrial enterprises have undergone retraining.