The event brought together leading specialists to discuss key challenges and effective solutions for businesses. Participants in the discussion included Lidiya Grytsenko, HR Director at Ukrainian Railways, Alena Kavka from Kness and Samvel Akobyan, CEO of Lilo/Helsi.
Petruk stated: “The tools we used before the war – those we trusted and that previously delivered strong results – have now stopped working. We must now identify new methods that will be effective in today’s environment.”
She noted that before the war, Metinvest had queues of people eager to work at its enterprises, allowing recruitment centres to select candidates even for unskilled roles. Due to the war, internal migration of Ukrainians to safer regions, mass departures abroad and mobilisation, the Group now faces an acute staff shortage. Currently, around 3,700 positions remain vacant. As a result, Metinvest has had to rethink its approaches to recruitment and training, as well as adapt various internal processes that support these functions.
Petruk commented: “The situation has changed drastically. Not only can we no longer afford to hold competitive selections, but we are now prepared to hire nearly anyone willing to work. The same applies to training. We recognise that it is more important for our enterprises to focus on critical skills in the current circumstances, such as first aid, rather than teaching how to give effective presentations.”
Due to these changes, Metinvest has revised its training programmes, adjusted the work of trainers and shortened training durations.
Petruk explained: “Previously, it took us six months to train someone as a journeyman steelmaker; now, we must achieve this in two months. This means we have to rethink all our training programmes and even retrain our instructors to meet these new requirements. We are also reviewing training content to ensure that it is tailored and focuses exclusively on the most essential skills needed for specific roles. After completing this condensed training, individuals will be ready to start working independently as quickly as possible.”
Participants also discussed the specifics of implementing change and transformation, sharing methods and approaches to avoid failures, strategies for managing internal resistance and ways of adapting businesses to new realities.