Business news from Ukraine

A roundtable held at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday discussed the results of a pilot project developed in close cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs with the active participation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The experiment aims to provide all war veterans with the opportunity to acquire a new profession, improve their skills, undergo rehabilitation and participate in sports events at Ukrainian higher education institutions.

“Due to the military operations, Ukraine is likely to become the country with the largest number of female and male veterans. According to official figures, as of January this year, the Ukrainian army numbered about 880,000 soldiers. And according to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the total number of war veterans, family members of the victims, and people with disabilities as a result of the war in Ukraine is more than 1.3 million, and further Russian aggression may lead to an increase in the veteran community,” said Artem Honcharenko, moderator of the conference and head of the Institute for Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Professional Development of Veterans ‘Architecture of Resilience’ at KNUBA.

New challenges have led to new tasks for domestic higher education institutions (HEIs): there is a need to create an effective model for integrating war veterans into civilian life through specialized educational, sports and rehabilitation programs.

The participants of the government pilot project jointly carried out a number of activities. In particular, KNUBA, as the country’s leading specialized higher education institution, played a key role in the reintegration of veterans. The university’s specialists have been involved in the development of innovative architectural projects, the creation of rehabilitation centers, and accessible spaces for living, education, work, and leisure. The university can become a key partner in shaping global spatial policy that will ensure comfort, inclusiveness, and sustainable development for veterans, their families, and communities. This is an important contribution to rebuilding Ukraine and creating decent working conditions for those who defend our future.

“Our university influences the market of specialists in the field of construction and architecture, so we actively support projects and initiatives that will help more people strive to create spaces that are accessible and convenient for everyone without exception. Modern approaches to the design and construction of buildings, structures, and spaces, taking into account the principles of inclusiveness, barrier-free accessibility, should become the basis for all educational institutions that train specialists in architecture, construction, and engineering. Combining efforts in this area allows us to make a significant contribution to social development. The University Institute “Architecture of Resilience” is launching the Center for Veteran Development, which will become a platform for adaptation and support of our defenders and a space for training, networking and development,” said Oleksiy Dniprov, Rector of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture.

Representatives of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and the National University of Physical Education and Sports also participated in several stages of the implementation of the Inclusive Recovery Project for Ukraine, which was conducted by the United Nations Development Program’s Universal Design School with financial support from the Swedish government. As part of the project, 70 participants from all over Ukraine were selected to work on real projects in 13 Ukrainian cities, creating a wide range of public spaces that should be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

At the same time, the university has started working with foreign organizations and institutions to provide war veterans with medical care and organize specialized rehabilitation programs.

“The National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine has demonstrated its capabilities in the field of rehabilitation of veterans through physical education and sports. The sport of war veterans is a new phenomenon both in legislation and in our society in general. It needs scientific and methodological development, and our university is one of the centers for the development of sports for war veterans and their families,” said Oleksandr Pyzhov, acting rector of the National University of Physical Education and Sports.

According to him, the university provides long-term physical education and sports rehabilitation, holds sports events and training for military and war veterans, which improves their reintegration into civilian life. During the year, the company developed guidelines for the provision of physical education and sports rehabilitation, cooperated with leading medical universities and hospitals in Kyiv, set up a multidisciplinary commission, and introduced a systematic provision of rehabilitation services. Meetings with government officials at the state and local levels are held on a regular basis. The University provides a range of social, physical, sports and psychological rehabilitation activities. To facilitate the transition from military service to civilian life for war veterans, the university provides formal and informal vocational education and professional qualifications. The university has created an adaptive educational infrastructure and is introducing specialized educational methods and adapting educational programs.

This fall, 14 sporting events were held as part of the project “Sports and War Veterans (UBD)”, which included such sports as billiards, athletics (running and shot put), chess, sitting volleyball, futsal, wheelchair basketball, and others.

Also this year, the NUFVSU hosted the All-Ukrainian Veterans Games in eSports and CrossFit. The complex of these activities is aimed at the speedy return of war veterans to civilian life, and only by joining forces we will succeed!”

Volodymyr Onyshchenko, acting Rector of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”, said that as part of the deepening cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, on September 11, 2024, his university became a platform for an important dialogue between veterans and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Yevhen Zakharov, Director of Kharkiv Human Rights Group, and a delegation of committee members from the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine (EUDEL), Poltava Regional Military Administration, heads of local communities, and civil society organizations.

“Poltava Polytechnic ensures the adaptation of the university’s material and technical base to the requirements of an inclusive space. Thus, from October to December of this year, 2090 war veterans attended a number of events at our university,” Rector added.

“During 2024, rehabilitation services were provided to 170 people affected by the war (comprehensive rehabilitation after amputations, gunshot wounds, injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, peripheral nervous system. A project for people with visual impairments has been implemented. Specialists have developed a tiflographic album-catalog of icons “Seeing Treasures Together” with acoustic adaptation. “In general, the implementation of the pilot project is in line with the Post-War Recovery Plan of Ukraine and the Ivano-Frankivsk Region Development Strategy for 2021-2027, in particular, the Development of Social Infrastructure and Inclusion, and has a high level of priority, as it will promote social integration and psycho-physical rehabilitation of war veterans,” said Ihor Tsependa, Acting Rector of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University.

“Physical fitness and sports activities are one of the key areas of engaging war veterans in active social life and professional activities. Our goal is to create conditions for their social adaptation, physical and mental recovery, and psychological rehabilitation. Since the beginning of 2024, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, together with the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health “Sport for All”, has been actively implementing a new social project “Active Parks – Unstoppable”, said Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Serhiy Tymofeev.

The goals of the project are to restore the general physical condition, strengthen mental health, social interaction, and unite war veterans and people with disabilities as a result of war into a cohesive community through physical education and sports.

The Active Parks – Unstoppable project is to become a new stage in the rehabilitation of our veterans. We have already set up 85 adaptive clubs where everyone can find something for themselves – from fitness to rugby. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is working to expand the initiative to cover all regions of Ukraine and provide veterans with access to quality physical and mental recovery programs.

In addition, to promote adaptive sports, twenty-six sports federations in sports recognized in Ukraine have already integrated the adaptive sports component into the rules of sports competitions.

“Involvement of war veterans in physical culture and sports is now an important component not only for their physical and mental recovery, but also for social adaptation, helps to overcome barriers and restore confidence in their abilities. This experiment on the basis of higher education institutions will contribute to the development of a systematic approach to the recovery and socialization of veterans through sports, and will help to build inclusive conditions for Ukrainians with special needs, strengthening their participation in sports and active life in the country. In this context, the development of adaptive sports is of particular importance today, as it is designed to enable each beneficiary to feel supported, find new opportunities and return to active life. We want every veteran to feel supported, find new opportunities and return to active life. Physical culture and sports help not only to restore health but also to find new goals,” emphasized Sergiy Timofeev.

The Educational and Scientific Center for Social and Psychological Support and Resilience of the Western Ukrainian National University conducts psychological trainings and consultations, art therapy workshops, various creative activities to maintain emotional balance and develop resilience in veterans and their families, organizes screenings of documentaries about defenders and meetings with veterans-heroes of films, etc. This was reported by the rector of the university Oksana Desyatniuk.

“Our university has opened the first immersive multifunctional hub in Ukraine. This project is part of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space until 2030, initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska. The hub has launched a project for the psychological rehabilitation of veterans and physical rehabilitation of the upper extremities using Webex Hologram and Magic Leap 2 augmented reality glasses. Particular attention is paid to staff training and advanced training of academic staff working with veterans,” she added.

Andriy Vitrenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, emphasized that despite the war, the number of foreign students in Ukrainian higher education institutions continues to be significant. He also emphasized the need to further improve conditions for foreign students in Ukraine.

“The implementation of this pilot project, launched on the instructions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has demonstrated the enormous potential of universities as leaders and reliable partners in implementing veterans’ policy. Five leading higher education institutions have created unique methods to help war veterans reintegrate into civilian life through education, sports, and rehabilitation programs. This project has developed an effective methodology that needs to be extended to other universities. The social responsibility of higher education institutions is to implement such technologies and methods in their daily activities. Currently, there are about 27 thousand foreign students studying in Ukraine, compared to about 80 thousand before the full-scale invasion, and the highest number of foreign students was about 100 thousand. In terms of price-quality ratio, Ukrainian education is among the top three European countries. I am confident that after the victory, we will reach the largest number of foreign students in our universities and satisfy the demand of domestic students for education. I thank all the participants for their dedication and commitment to change!” he said.

Maksym Urakin, Development Director of Interfax-Ukraine news agency, in turn, emphasized the need to implement the results of the experiment and to establish budget funding for the adaptation of citizens to peaceful life.

War veterans today are faced with this unique phenomenon of “job search” in the Ukrainian labor market. Employers today must and have the opportunity to provide any job to every veteran with proper conditions in accordance with their needs and physical capabilities. Assistance to a special segment of the population – our defenders – should be undeniable and qualified. Any support is important, especially state support.

Therefore, new opportunities for veterans and their families are being actively created at educational institutions. Special courses have been developed in close cooperation with employers, the public and representatives of veteran communities. This is an opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills that will help them return to their chosen profession after returning from the front in civilian life.

Summarizing the results of the conference, the joint pilot project with the participation of the participating universities has high and positive results, which means that we can say that such a project is a success, and next year it is necessary to build systematic and coordinated work on an ongoing basis.