Interview with Serhiy Kravchenko, Deputy Head of the State Employment Service of Ukraine
According to the State Employment Service of Ukraine, as of May 2016, the most promising professions in Ukraine include specialties in the IT sector, which, on the one hand, offer high salary levels and, on the other hand, are in demand by employers. Currently, as part of the Erasmus+ program in Ukraine, the European project “GameHub: University-Enterprises Cooperation in Game Industry in Ukraine” – 561728-EPP-1-2015-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP” is being implemented. This project is dedicated to the gaming industry, which falls under IT specialties.
Within the framework of the GameHub project, an interview was organized with the Deputy Head of the State Employment Service of Ukraine, Serhiy Kravchenko.
One of the main goals of the project is to open GameHub centers at six Ukrainian universities that are project participants. These institutions will provide training and retraining for the unemployed, ATO participants, and internally displaced persons to become IT specialists in the gaming industry using educational modules developed and implemented within the project. It is here that close cooperation with the employment service is envisioned. The goal is to work together to help these people acquire a profession that will allow them to realize their potential, improve their standard of living, and earn a high salary.
In order to clarify thoughts on this type of project as a whole and the implementation of training and retraining of specialists in the gaming industry, the possibilities/mechanisms for cooperation between universities and employment centers for the implementation of such training; to assess the potential of future students; and to learn the opinion regarding the employment of such specialists in the labor market, in July 2016, staff members of the infrastructure and educational projects preparation sector of the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Liubov Ziniuk (Z.L.) and Olha Ziniuk (Z.O.), interviewed the Deputy Head of the State Employment Service (Central Office), Mr. Serhiy Kravchenko (K.S.).
Z.O.: How many unemployed people are currently registered in Ukraine, and what portion of them are ATO participants and internally displaced persons?
K.S.: As of today, we have 388,930 registered unemployed, of which 22,279 are military personnel who participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation, and 6,300 are internally displaced persons.
Z.O.: Is there data on the number of unemployed ATO participants by region of Ukraine?
K.S.: There is data by region, of course. We can provide it. In particular, in the regions covered by the project, the following number of unemployed military personnel who participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation are registered: Kyiv city – 824 people, Kyiv region – 1,231 people, Donetsk region – 138 people, Ivano-Frankivsk region – 798 people, Odesa region – 268 people, Kharkiv region – 50 people, Kherson region – 685 people.
Z.O.: What percentage of registered unemployed have a higher (technical) education?
K.S.: The percentage of unemployed with higher education is 46.8%. Unfortunately, there is no data on technical higher education.
Z.O.: Are the unemployed interested in undergoing training/retraining for IT professions?
K.S.: I would like to note that the unemployed are interested, as this industry is currently one of the highest-paying in the country. Moreover, the work can be done remotely. That is exactly why our unemployed are interested.
Z.O.: In your opinion, will they be interested in obtaining an IT specialty specifically in the gaming industry?
K.S.: They will be interested in obtaining this specialty if it brings them additional income and they see their self-realization in this direction.
By the way, Vocational Education and Training Centers operate under the State Employment Service, offering intensive training and retraining courses for IT specialists.
Z.O.: Do these centers offer training for IT specialists for the gaming industry?
K.S.: No, our VET centers only train general IT specialists.
Z.O.: In your opinion, is training for these specialties attractive to the labor market?
K.S.: If there are high-quality courses that provide a clear result and the person sees the end goal, then I am sure there will be quite a lot of people interested.
Z.O.: Have employers informed you about open vacancies in the gaming industry of the IT sector?
K.S.: Employers looking for IT specialists contact us. Employers do not contact us regarding this narrow direction because, as of today, we have not defined separate priorities such as IT in the gaming industry. I believe there are quite few such specialists in the labor market. Therefore, employers are looking for general IT specialists, whom they then retrain or adapt to become IT specialists in a narrow field.
Z.O.: Is the State Employment Service interested in cooperation with universities for the training or retraining of IT specialists for the gaming industry?
K.S.: We are interested. If it helps job seekers find employment, we are interested in any cooperation.
Z.O.: What mechanisms exist for cooperation between the employment service and universities? Which mechanism would be most effective in our case?
K.S.: As of today, we have the Law of Ukraine on Employment, which clearly speaks about training/retraining the unemployed and improving their skills so that they can be employed as quickly as possible. We work with universities in the direction of professional development. We also have such a mechanism for promoting employment as a voucher, with which an internally displaced person, an ATO participant, or a person over 45 can go to study at any university in Ukraine at the expense of the Fund for Compulsory State Social Insurance of Ukraine in Case of Unemployment.
Z.O.: Is it possible to accredit the courses developed within the project at the State Employment Service of Ukraine and the Vocational Education and Training Centers? If so, how?
K.S.: The thing is, we need to choose a region. I suggest choosing, first of all, million-plus cities, where it will be most interesting, and with the joint activity of the State Employment Service and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, I think we will be able to adapt these courses and introduce them at the base of the Vocational Education and Training Centers in employment centers.
Z.O.: Do you have data on which skills, experience, and knowledge in the IT sphere are in demand among employers?
K.S.: In the IT industry, these are people who know and can work with software and can improve or write it.
Z.O.: What problems, in your opinion, might the project participants face?
K.S.: I think the first problem is employment. So, the first thing to start with is to show the unemployed person who has come to us the end goal. That is, what they will receive after completing the training and where they will be employed.
Z.O.: How to attract participants not only to register for training but also to finish it?
K.S.: You must show the end goal and the possibilities of financial provision.
Z.O.: Would you, as a person holding a leadership position in the State Employment Service of Ukraine, like to receive notifications about project developments and activities carried out within the project? Do you see an opportunity for the State Employment Service to become an associated member of the project and be invited to certain events or project meetings?
K.S.: We are open to new ideas, to new projects, and if these projects help employ at least one unemployed person, we are already starting to work with you. And I want to note that we can implement your projects in our vocational education and training centers, of which we have 11 (eleven). This would be a very good boost for the development not only of your project but for the development of the economy of Ukraine.
