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On 2 June 2026, Kyiv hosted the closing event of IT for ProfTech: Bootcamp — a training programme for managers of vocational education institutions, delivered by IT Ukraine Association in partnership with Junior Achievement Ukraine (VET Bridge initiative) and supported by the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Programme.
The programme ran from April to June 2026. Over this period, 113 participants from 63 institutions across 23 Ukrainian cities completed three training modules: digital transformation of management, resource and team management, and leadership and team development. The programme was delivered with support from partner companies: DAN IT Education, EPAM, Unicorn School, PMI Chapter Ukraine, Self-ERP, Hillel IT School, SoftServe, and Sigma Software University.
The closing event featured a panel discussion, “Vocational Education in Ukraine: Challenges and Digital Transformation”, with representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Foundation, Junior Achievement Ukraine, and IT Ukraine Association. The discussion was also joined by Dmytro Zavhorodnii, Deputy Minister of Education and Science for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalisation, and Iryna Shumik, Director General of the Ministry’s Directorate of Vocational Education. The official proceedings concluded with a ceremonial signing of memoranda between the Ministry of Education and Science and the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Foundation.
At the outset, participants identified the key management challenges facing their institutions. The most common were: insufficient digital infrastructure (53% of institutions), difficulties motivating teaching staff (52%), and managing change and innovation (46%). Systemic issues included the absence of strategic planning, outdated curricula, and weak ties with employers. Participants also highlighted challenges specific to wartime conditions: proximity to the front line, relocation, and general instability.
Despite these difficult circumstances, participants entered the programme with a clear vision for change. The most frequently cited priority was building an integrated digital management ecosystem — not as a standalone tool, but as a unified platform for the entire institution. Other priorities included digitalisation of the educational process, developing partnerships with businesses and the IT sector, and introducing artificial intelligence and practice-oriented learning.
The centrepiece of the closing event was the presentation of Digital Transformation Plans — concrete strategies developed by graduates for their own institutions. Ten participants presented their work publicly. The plans varied considerably in context and priorities, yet shared a common logic: from diagnosing the current state, through clearly defined goals with measurable indicators, to a six-month roadmap.
The first shared priority was building a unified digital environment that integrates management, learning, and communication into a single ecosystem. Institutions plan to move document workflows to the cloud, introduce electronic registers and dashboards, and reduce paperwork — freeing up teachers’ time for direct work with students.
Vocational education has significant potential to be not merely part of the reform, but its driving force. However, for that to happen, change must begin with management teams that have a clear vision of their objectives and are not afraid to adopt new tools. Here, digitalisation is not about ‘moving paperwork online’ — it is about freeing up time and resources for what truly matters: delivering quality work with students
— Yelyzaveta Radutna, Programme Manager, Junior Achievement Ukraine.
The second was embedding artificial intelligence and modern digital tools into daily practice, rather than treating them as one-off experiments. From automating reporting and preparing teaching materials to creating original content, institutions set measurable targets for teacher uptake and defined specific outcomes expected of students.
The third was strengthening visibility and partnerships: updating institutional digital profiles, developing social media presence, building graduate portfolios, and establishing systematic collaboration with employers. Several institutions took a distinctive approach — from a 360° virtual tour designed to attract international partners, to digital marketing as a response to declining enrolment.
The IT industry has come to vocational education with a strategic interest. The country needs skilled professionals — and we can see that vocational institutions are capable of producing them. But to do that, their leaders need to think like change managers: to understand how modern teams work, how to set goals, and how to implement tools that actually deliver results. That is precisely what we sought to convey through IT for ProfTech: Bootcamp. When you see the head of an institution from Chernihiv or Zaporizhzhia present a digital transformation plan complete with OKRs and a six-month roadmap, you realise this is not merely a training project. It is the point from which real systemic transformation begins.
— Denys Grynov, Vice President for Education, IT Ukraine Association; Head of EPAM Campus in Ukraine.
IT for ProfTech: Bootcamp demonstrated that demand for transformation within the vocational education system is real — and considerably greater than it might appear from the outside. The programme showed that investing in the management competencies of vocational institution directors and methodologists is, in effect, an investment in the quality of training for the thousands of future professionals Ukraine’s economy needs today.
The project is implemented by the IT Ukraine Association in cooperation with Junior Achievement Ukraine (VET Bridge initiative) with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden.
