The project “Professional Integration of Internally Displaced Persons” is part of the EU4Skills program
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), European Union (EU)

Co-funded by: European Union

Lead executing agency: Ministry of reintegration of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine; Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Overall term: 2017 to 2023

Context

The conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014 has forced 1.4 million people from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to leave their homes and settle in other regions of the country. One of the most pressing problems for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people living in the host communities is the lack of employment opportunities. Moreover, the qualifications of the IDPs often do not match the job profiles in demand on the labour market. Women are disproportionately affected.

Vocational retraining courses are rarely geared to the needs of the labour market, nor are they equally accessible to everybody. In addition to personal and family problems, unemployment also triggers social conflicts when population groups compete for scarce jobs.

Objective

The employability both of IDPs and the population of the host communities in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Zaporizhia regions and in the government-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has improved.

COPYWRITING HAS BECOME A CONSOLATION AND A NEW PROFESSION FOR ANNA KURILOVA

Anna Kurilova studied copywriting and became one of the 80 graduates of the “Station of Equal Opportunities”

In partnership with the project “Vocational Integration of IDPs”, the NGO “Kharkiv Station” has implemented the initiative “Station of Equal Opportunities” – free retraining for women who find themselves in difficult life circumstances and have small children or children with disabilities.

Anna has been a creative person since her childhood, writing fairy tales, poems, plays, but had to earn a living working in retail. She never had a clue that her creative abilities could be in demand and bring in money. 

Copywriting courses appeared in Anna’s life at the most difficult moment, when a serious illness and caring for children with disabilities simply tied her to her house.

 “I felt that there was an apocalypse in my life. And here, in the midst of sadness and despair, my childhood passion became a ray of sunshine, but in a professional format now,” says Anna.

 Thanks to the attention of the teacher and the friendly atmosphere in the team, gradually each of the participants not only improved their skills, but also became more confident. A few weeks after graduation, Anna received her first order. And then the second, third…

 “I could not realize that I get money for a few lines, that I can earn by doing what I really like! Thanks to the courses, I found not only my vocation, but also incredible support in the person of the teacher and the girls from my group,” says Anna with excitement.

Overall, 3678 persons have successfully completed the re-/training measures aimed at improving employability implemented on behalf of the BMZ through the project “Vocational Integration of IDPs” in six eastern regions of Ukraine. In addition, 544 staff members of regional state employment services and its vocational educational institutions were capacitated.  As a result of the cooperation between public, state, and private sectors, 16 partnership structures were created to implement innovative projects aimed at improvement of framework conditions on the labour market and increasing employability.