Since the beginning of 2024, 6,000 Ukrainians have received a voucher for education at public expense and will be able to acquire a new profession or speciality, or improve their professional level to be more competitive in the labour market. The state has funded their education with UAH 42 million. This was announced by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

“One of the problems caused by the war is structural unemployment. Today, there are many Ukrainians in the labour market who cannot find a job because their skills do not meet the needs of employers. That is why we give people the opportunity to receive a voucher for training and learn a new speciality that is more relevant to the labour market or improve their professional level at public expense. One needs to apply to the State Employment Service and receive a voucher and use it to pay for training, choosing an educational institution of their choice. Over the three months of this year, 6,000 Ukrainians have already taken advantage of this opportunity. The state has financed their education for UAH 42 million,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

Among the most popular professions and specialities for which vouchers are used this year are: nursing (1,642 vouchers were issued); pre-school education (384); medicine (254); psychology (173); cook (778); driver (345); tractor driver (298); confectioner (172).

The largest number of vouchers were received by residents of Dnipropetrovsk region (710 vouchers), Lviv region (602), Odesa region (385), Kharkiv region (357), Kyiv region (349), and Vinnytsia region (347).

Last year, 18,100 Ukrainians received vouchers for training, with a total of UAH 252 million financed under the programme. In 2023, the largest number of vouchers was issued for the following professions and specialities: psychology, social work, education, medicine, construction and civil engineering, cook, driver.

In total, the voucher can be used for training in 124 professions and specialities in IT, construction, transport, education, medicine, agriculture, social services, etc. The person chooses the profession, the educational institution in Ukraine and the form of the study (full-time, part-time or distance learning) on his/her own. Training is provided by vocational (vocational-technical), professional pre-higher and higher education institutions, enterprises, institutions and organisations licensed for such educational activities.

The voucher entitles a person to receive free training in educational institutions or with an employer in a list of professions and specialities approved by the Ministry of Economy. As of today, the voucher amount cannot exceed UAH 30,280. If the cost of training is higher, the employer or the person pays the difference on their own.

Certain categories of citizens can receive a voucher if they have a vocational or higher education, are not registered as unemployed with the employment service and have not received training at the expense of the Mandatory State Unemployment Insurance Fund in the last 3 years. In particular, these are:

• people over the age of 45 (before the age of retirement);
• veterans, combatants;
• internally displaced persons of working age;
• persons with disabilities;
• people who have been injured as a result of military aggression or have been in captivity.