Joint Action Skills4Recovery Launched: EU, Poland, Estonia join Germany to Train 4,700 Skilled Workers for Ukraine’s Economy

The kick-off event of the Joint Action Skills4Recovery took place on September 20, 2024. The EU, Poland, and Estonia have joined an ongoing programme of the German Government to enhance training opportunities for young people and adults in Ukraine. The support of international partners is driven by Ukraine’s urgent need for skilled workers — to compensate for the daily effects of the war, maintain the country’s resilience, and develop the economy in the future.

The war has caused significant migration and severe damage to the educational infrastructure. Ukraine’s economy lacks over 100,000 workers, mainly in the service sector and blue-collar occupations. And this demand will continue to grow. According to estimates, Ukraine will need between 4.5 million (Ministry of Economy) and 8.6 million (ILO) additional workers by the 2030-ies. Meanwhile, the Skills4Recovery programme’s labour market analysis revealed that a skills mismatch is more pressing than a lack of candidates. These gaps are particularly noticeable in critical sectors such as construction, agriculture, transport and logistics, trade, and IT.

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2024) in Berlin, the EU announced its commitment to financing the Skills4Recovery initiative. Estonia and Poland followed suit, further bolstering the programme. 

The expanded support within the Joint Action Skills4Recovery will lead to significant increases in:

• the Action’s budget, more than doubling it from EUR 10 million to EUR 25.5 million;
• the number of skilled workers who will be supported through training offers doubled to over 4,700 people;
• the number of supported VET providers, increasing more than twofold to up to 50;
• support for replication of best practices in school management, inclusion, digitalisation and cooperation with the private sector throughout Ukraine;
• policy advisory support to implement measures of the Ukraine Plan in human capital development and the EU accession.

In addition, the Action’s geographical coverage is expanding from six regions to the whole of Ukraine.

By providing a skilled workforce to recover Ukraine’s economy, the Joint Action aims to support Ukraine on its EU membership path and strengthen its resilience and capacity to respond to the impacts generated by Russia’s war of aggression.

“I am happy to launch today Skills4Recovery action, jointly funded by the EU, Germany, Poland and Estonia. By joining our efforts and resources as a Team Europe, the EU and its Member States support Ukraine in its EU accession process, transforming VET education and developing skills necessary for the post-war recovery,” Henrik Huitfeldt, Head of Section Public Finance, Business Support and Social Policy of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, said.

Germany, Poland and Estonia are known for effective VET systems focused on lifelong learning, digitalisation, and high graduate employability.

“We are happy to continue our long-standing commitment to supporting Ukraine’s skills development, including by our programme Skills4Recovery together with the EU, Estonia and Poland. And we are excited to join forces with more than 50 international partners in the newly founded Skills Alliance to help Ukraine with the challenges today and in the future,” Marcus Koll, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, noticed.

“For over 10 years, Poland has supported the vocational education and training sector in Ukraine, including through Solidarity Fund PL. We have helped with policy reforms, institutional capacity building, and actual training. Through the Skills4Recovery programme, we aim to share key aspects of Poland’s experience, particularly in how vocational education collaborates with employers on curriculum development and training. Additionally, our recent and successful adoption of EU standards and regulations serves as a valuable example. We sincerely hope that our support will contribute to Ukraine’s recovery, as well as its economic and human development,” Agnieszka Góralska, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, said.

“Estonia is proud to join the German government’s Skills4Recovery initiative, alongside the EU and Poland, to support Ukraine in modernizing its vocational education system and enhancing digital skills development. We are excited to partner with the Estonian NGO Mondo, bringing the best of Estonian expertise to this important effort. Strengthening vocational education is essential for Ukraine to train the skilled workers needed to rebuild the country, and Estonia is ready to contribute,” Klen Jäärats, Executive Director, Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), emphasized.

Ukraine needs a strong VET system that meets the current challenges and labour market demands. It is also crucial to involve businesses in the training and employment of graduates and to create conditions for integration into the labour market for all working-age people, including vulnerable groups.

“Today, Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of skilled workers. According to forecasts, by the 2030s, we will need millions of additional workers to rebuild the Ukrainian economy in various sectors, from construction to energy. That is why creating conditions for quality training of such workers is one of the key challenges, and cooperation with international partners is crucial for creating new opportunities for training specialists,” Dmytro Zavgorodnii, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, noticed.

“The Skills4Recovery programme is an important step towards Ukraine’s recovery, as skilled workers are the foundation for a sustainable economy. We aim not only to overcome imbalances in the labour market, but also to create opportunities for Ukrainians to adapt to new conditions by improving their professional skills,” Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, stated.

“Skills4Recovery is expanding. Thanks to the EU member states and their experience, Ukraine is already implementing changes for quality training of the skilled workforce, laying a solid foundation for sustainable human capital development in the future,” Michael Paulo, Programme Director of Skills4Recovery, GIZ GmbH, said.

Background information:

The Joint Action Skills4Recovery is financed by the European Union, Germany, Poland, and Estonia. It is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Solidarity Fund PL (SFPL). Skills4Recovery was initiated by the German Government in 2023.
 

Press contacts:  

Olena Solonets, +38 050 97 025 90, olena.solonets@giz.de