Thanks to the excellent reputation of Estonian vocational education and its digital solutions in Europe, we can take pride in the fact that the Ministry of Education of Ukraine invited Estonian experts to participate as partners in such a significant project. Ukraine, in terms of size, is incomparable to Estonia. The country has a population of over 40 million and a approximately 1,500 vocational schools. The country was severely affected by the coronavirus, and the subsequent war partly altered the originally planned activities. Attention had to be focused on activities that could realistically be carried out in a wartime situation.
One of the primary outcomes of the project was the development of the VET module in the Education Management Information System, a large-scale and complex IT development. While Estonia has the Estonian Education Information System (EHIS) for centralizing data in the education system, Ukraine previously lacked such a system for vocational education. Three years of work resulted in a foundational tool that the Ukrainian partner will have the opportunity to further develop.
The most significant benefit of EMIS is its modern data management capability. The system stores a vast amount of data and information, making it easily accessible, analyzable, and visualizable. It also provides educators with valuabel data at the national, regional, and VET institution levels to assist them in making informed decisions regarding VET issues. As of March 2023, EMIS VET contained 1447 VET institutions, 195 415 students, and 28 861.
Project experts also supported the Ukrainian National Task Force in the process of optimizing the network of vocational schools. Criteria for optimization, a concept "Methodological Recommendations for Optimization" and a video presenting Estonia's experience in optimizing the network of vocational schools were developed.
In a wartime situation, the development of a digital reception system for vocational education and training became essential, enabling vocational students to enroll from wherever they were. Excellent cooperation between the partners from both countries ensured the successful realization of planned results, and by 2023, the reception for vocational education and training was entirely digital.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Olena Zelenska initiated a reform to improve the quality of catering in schools and kindergartens. With the support of our project, 80 vocational teachers completed the training program "School Nutrition" and upgraded their qualifications. The activity aimed to equip vocational teachers with new competencies that will be necessary during the war and post-war reconstruction period. Practical training took place in Ukraine, and the training on special diets was conducted by Estonian experts, who also prepared the relevant teaching materials.
At the suggestion of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, we created a teaching material titled "Warehouse Management" for vocational schools. Previously, logistics education has only been offered at the higher education level. The newly created teaching material in Ukrainian supports the teaching of this field in vocational schools.
Thanks to the close and trusting cooperation with Ukrainian partners, who supported the project´s continuation through the virus and the emergency caused by the war, the project achieved successful results. Good relations and cooperation will certainly continue in the future.
The project was funded by the European Union and its member states: Germany, Poland, Finland, and Estonia. The project was managed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in cooperation with partners from the member states. The main beneficiary of the EU4Skills project is the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. On the Estonian side, the project was delivered by a team from SA Innove, and the implementation was completed by a project team from the Harno Internationalisation Department. The project was co-financed by the Development Cooperation Fund of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
