Estonia, Poland and EU join German initiative to improve vocational education and training in Ukraine

Initially begun by the German government in 2023, Skills4Recovery works with vocational education and training (VET) institutions as they adapt to the country’s current situation and undergo the reforms needed for accession to the European Union.

With the added support from Estonia, Poland, and the European Commission, Skills4Recovery will be able to double the number of skilled workers supported through training to over 4,700 people and double the number of supported VET providers to about 50.

“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,” said Michael Paulo, the Skills4Recovery programme director, the German development cooperation agency GIZ. 

The initiative’s budget is 25.5 million euros and is co-financed by the European Commission, Germany, Poland, and Estonia.  GIZ is responsible for project implementation, which will run until the end of June 2026. The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) will work with NGO Mondo within the Skills4Recovery framework to share Estonia’s digital expertise with VET institutions.

“Estonia is proud to join the German government's Skills4Recovery initiative, alongside the EU and Poland, to support Ukraine in modernising its vocational education system and enhancing digital skills development,” said ESTDEV executive director Klen Jäärats. “We are excited to partner with the Estonian NGO Mondo, bringing Estonia’s best to this important effort. Strengthening vocational education is essential for Ukraine to train the workers needed to rebuild the country, and Estonia is ready to contribute.”

The war has wreaked havoc on Ukraine’s economy, as millions of young people have fled to other countries, left homes and jobs to move to safer areas of Ukraine, joined the military, or been injured and are no longer able to work. According to recent estimates, Ukraine will need between 4.5 million and 8.6 million additional workers by the 2030s. The Skills4Recovery programme’s labour market analysis showed that the skilled labour available does not align with the needs of the market, especially in critical sectors such as construction, agriculture, transport and logistics, trade, and IT.

Internally displaced people, former military personnel, women, and returnees must acquire new skills to take advantage of the available jobs. Currently, VET providers in Ukraine lack the capacity to meet these needs, especially when retraining in newer technologies and digital skills. 

“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.

For Estonia, joining Skills4Recovery was a logical choice, as ESTDEV already has experience working with improving vocational education in the Zhytomyr Region. Furthermore, other members of the European Union highly value Estonia’s experience with digital technologies. Estonia’s participation in Skills4Recovery will open up opportunities for cooperation on future projects to improve digital skills development in other sectors of Ukraine. Estonia is already working on several digital initiatives with European partners in Kenya, Uganda, Moldova and Armenia.

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.

Skills4Recovery