From workshop to career: how modern vocational education opens new opportunities

Quality vocational education is about much more than modern classrooms or state-of-the-art equipment. It is about giving people the opportunity to acquire in-demand skills, find meaningful employment, and take the next step in their professional journey. This is exactly what Svitlana and Nataliia experienced through the Support for recovery of Kryvyi Rih Raion project in Ukraine, where strengthening vocational education is a key priority. One enhanced her expertise in the rapidly evolving energy sector, while the other launched a career in a profession traditionally considered male-dominated, demonstrating how modern vocational education can transform lives and open new pathways to employment.

The Support for recovery of Kryvyi Rih Raion project, funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, in partnership with Proman and the NDI, helps vocational education institutions become modern centres of excellence by upgrading training workshops, creating technology laboratories, equipping institutions with modern machinery and tools, supporting teachers, and developing new educational programmes that meet the needs of today's labour market.

To date, 11 vocational education institutions across Kryvyi Rih and Kryvyi Rih Raion have received support through the project. This includes the establishment of 7 modern training workshops and 5 technology laboratories, as well as the development of 15 new educational programmes. Ten of these programmes have been integrated into regular vocational curricula, while five are short-term courses designed to help adults quickly acquire new professional competencies.

One of the institutions benefiting from this support is the Kryvyi Rih Mining Professional College of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council. Through the project, the college established a modern welding workshop and the innovative Smart Energy Lab — a learning space where students and experienced professionals alike can gain practical experience using the same technologies and equipment they will encounter in today's industries.

It is here that two women found new opportunities to shape their futures. Although their professional journeys are very different, both demonstrate how investment in education can change lives.

Svitlana KRAVCHUK has spent many years working in Ukraine's energy sector. As a Category I Protection Relay and Automation Engineer at NPC Ukrenergo, she is responsible for ensuring the reliable operation of the country's power system. Despite her extensive professional experience, she firmly believes that learning should never end with graduation.

In 2026, Svitlana completed the short-term course "Installation, commissioning and maintenance of solar power plants", delivered in the newly established Smart Energy Lab.

Throughout the programme, she worked with photovoltaic modules, hybrid inverters, battery energy storage systems, charge controllers and professional diagnostic equipment. The practical training covered the complete lifecycle of a solar power installation, from assembling mounting structures and connecting system components to configuring inverters, testing performance and carrying out maintenance.

Her story demonstrates the importance of lifelong learning. Access to modern equipment and innovative technologies enables experienced professionals to continuously develop their expertise and remain prepared for the ongoing transformation of the energy sector.

For Nataliia BIELIETSKA, the modern welding workshop became the first step towards a career in a profession that has long been considered male-dominated.

In 2025, she graduated from the Kryvyi Rih Mining Professional College with qualifications as an electric and gas welder and a maintenance electrician.

During her studies, Nataliia trained on modern welding equipment, mastered different welding techniques and completed practical assignments using machinery purchased through the project.

Today, she works as an electric and gas welder at the Yuvileina Mine of Sukha Balka PJSC. She is the only female welder on her team, proving every day that professionalism is defined not by gender, but by skills, knowledge and determination.

Svitlana and Nataliia have followed different paths, yet they share one important experience : access to modern vocational education has opened new opportunities for both of them. For Svitlana, it meant advancing her expertise in the rapidly growing field of renewable energy. For Nataliia, it meant launching a successful career in a highly demanded technical profession.

This is what investment in education looks like in practice. It is not only about renovating workshops or purchasing equipment. It is about empowering people to develop in-demand skills, build sustainable careers, secure decent jobs and contribute to the economic development of their communities.

By supporting vocational education today, the project is investing in the people who will help shape Ukraine's future.

The Support for recovery of Kryvyi Rih Raion project is funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, in partnership with Proman and NDI.