The last few years of my life have really not been easy. I left my native Mariupol and adapted to life in the capital for a long time. For a long time I did not know how to proceed and where to start my recovery. Unfortunately, I also did not have the support of those closest to me, because at the age of 15 I was orphaned. Since then, I have overcome all the challenges myself. That fateful coincidence helped me start the change: when I was looking for educational opportunities for my eldest son, I heard about adult courses. I was able to pass the selection for training and get the profession of plumber. The project has changed my life a lot, and it's not just about a new job. I became more open. Before my studies, I had depression, and communicating with students and masters helped me a lot. I came out of my shell, and now I am working in a new specialty. The profession of plumber is one of the most relevant for the recovery of the country. Even during war, when the enemy tries to destroy us, we rebuild our ruined homes and old buildings. And we also try to restore our own life after all the losses and grief experienced.

I often say that as a large parent with four children, I can't just sit still. I am always looking for the best opportunities to provide for my large family. So it happened with the idea of getting a forklift driver profession. I worked abroad for some time, there I tried to learn how to drive a forklift myself, but I did not succeed. When he returned to Ukraine, he decided to seek training in this specialty, because he knew that there was a shortage of such specialists in the Ukrainian labor market. Therefore, the news about free tuition from the project was taken as a good sign. So it happened — the project gave me the opportunity to change my life. After successfully completing my studies, I almost immediately found a job, now I work in a company that provides construction equipment work services. I am grateful to the project and its partners for the chance they gave me, an adult 50-year-old man, to start a new career path.

This project is extremely important for our institution. With the support of the NGO “Ukrainian Professional Development” and international partners, we have helped many people to acquire new practical skills and specialized education. And the joint experience of the project implementation was very comfortable for us. Constant communication with the NGO team, clear coordination of actions, comprehensive support helped to realize the project at a high level. On behalf of the team of Gushchinets VPU, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your trust and the choice of our institution for partnership. We value the opportunity to work together and make a joint contribution to the development of specialized education for adults.

We thank the project for supporting young entrepreneurs. You have given us a chance to develop. My husband and I, after his return from the war, began to actively develop our own farming business in Vinnytsia region. Always dreamed of having their own business and using their talents to the maximum. Dmitry and I manage to cope well with the technique and mechanisms. Therefore, they went to study to get the specialty of locksmiths and repair tractors and combines on their own. It was a very right decision. After all, the training took place at the highest level: a lot of practice, competent teachers, motivated participants. It is equally important that during his studies Dmitry was able to better adapt to civilian life, he spent a lot of time with a psychotherapist, whose help was also provided within the project. This period was really not easy for our family: together we fought the fears of a man who had just become a veteran. And intense learning and joint planning of the future have become our helpers. Thank you for believing in us!

Together with our partners, we have done everything to help improve the skills of women and men who seek to acquire the necessary professions for the reconstruction of Ukraine. This experience has been an important step in our mission to provide quality education and training. The project provided equal opportunities for all participants in education, regardless of gender and social status. So we created a learning environment where everyone could realize their potential and contribute to rebuilding our country. We are grateful to the team of “Ukrainian Professional Development”, international partners for their support and the opportunity to participate in such an important initiative. We look forward to further cooperation and new successful projects that will help our education candidates reach new heights in their professional activities.

In the context of war, the training of qualified personnel for critical infrastructure enterprises, such as thermal power plants, becomes especially important. The “Learning for Change” project is an excellent initiative that gives women the opportunity to expand their field of activity by gaining additional professional knowledge and skills, and to master several professions.

Women have always worked at the station, but today, due to changing trends in the labor market due to the war, we realize that it is important to increase the involvement of women in various fields of activity, not limited to “typically female” specialties. This provides new opportunities for women, increases the efficiency of the enterprise and reduces the risks associated with staff shortages.

Thanks to this project, four women of the Pridnepr TPP have already undergone training and received new specialties.