RuralSkills: how vocational training can open new opportunities for rural communities

More details about the project can be found here: https://uzhnu.edu.ua/en/dep/viddil-mizhnarodnykh-zvyazkiv/about-1390

Uzhhorod National University is a partner of the RuralSkills project and is involved in work aimed at ensuring that vocational training better meets the real needs of people, employers and communities. The project brings together partners from five countries: Ukraine, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia and Spain. The research covered five pilot regions, and the Ukrainian part of the work was focused on Zakarpattia.

Find out more at the link:

https://uzhnu.edu.ua/uk/novyny/yak-rozvivati-silski-gromadi-cherez-osvitu-v-uzhnu-vidbulasya-ek

The prepared report summarises the results of the second work package of the project (WP2). The partners studied how vocational education is organised in the pilot regions, which competencies the local labour market needs and what prevents people from accessing training. The purpose of this work is not only to describe existing problems but also to determine how to make education more practical, more accessible and more closely linked to the economic life of communities.

One of the key conclusions was that vocational training does not always keep pace with changes in the economy and technology. In many cases, educational programmes lack a practical component and closer interaction with employers. Additional obstacles remain financial constraints, insufficient access to digital infrastructure, the remoteness of training centres and the lack of flexible training formats. At the same time, the modern labour market needs specialists who combine professional knowledge with digital, communication and entrepreneurial skills.

For Zakarpattia, the researchers separately analysed the environment in which professional competencies are formed and developed. The mapping covered 93 organisations and institutions, including vocational and higher education institutions, employers, authorities, public organisations and regional development structures. Such a broad overview helps to see how important cooperation between education, business and local institutions is, because it is joint actions that can turn training into an effective tool for community development.

The Ukrainian results indicate a particular need for competencies related to entrepreneurship and marketing. This refers to business planning, management of entrepreneurial activity and risks, leadership, content creation, branding, strategic marketing and communication. Advanced digital skills are becoming no less important: programming, data analysis, automation, the use of digital tools in business, cybersecurity and the application of artificial intelligence. These skills can be useful both for employment and for developing one's own business.

The report emphasises: for vocational education to truly meet the needs of rural areas, it is not enough merely to update curricula. It is important to expand opportunities for practical training and preparation directly in the workplace, to involve employers in the development of educational content, to improve digital infrastructure and to support lifelong learning. Particular attention should be paid to residents of remote communities and people for whom financial, geographical or technological constraints make participation in educational programmes more difficult.

Representatives of the partner participants at the meeting in Bursa, Turkey

Find out more at the link: https://uzhnu.edu.ua/en/novyny/predstavniki-uzhnu-vzyali-uchast-u-zustrichi-proyektu-ruralskills

The research results will become the basis for the next stage of RuralSkills. Within the third work package, the partners plan to develop six interactive training scenarios using extended reality (XR) technologies. They will cover entrepreneurship, marketing and digital skills. Subsequently, these materials are to become part of a digital learning platform with artificial intelligence support, designed to make learning more flexible, practical and accessible for people from various communities.

RuralSkills is implemented with the support of the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. The participation of Uzhhorod National University in the partnership makes it possible to join international exchange of experience and jointly develop approaches that will help rural communities better respond to labour market challenges.

The report on the research results and more detailed information about the project are available on the RuralSkills website: https://www.ruralskills.eu/

Anastasiya Lendel,

Information and Publishing Centre