The issues of retraining and obtaining new professions become especially actual during the war. Although the problem of the mismatch of education with the requirements of time was relevant even before the start of a the full-scale war, now it is obvious that people's access to education is the foundation of resilience. The war is accompanied by migration within the country and outside its borders, the destruction of the material and social infrastructure of communities, unemployment, and the decrease in people's well-being. Many people are forced to train for new professions after returning to civilian life from the frontline or to adjust to life in the new places. Many people learn new skills in the fields of medicine, civil defense, military affairs, telecommuting technologies to rebuild the economy. Nowadays adult learning and education in Ukraine are the tools to respond to these challenges.
In order to draw public attention to the topic of adult education once again, as well as unite the learning cities and civil society representatives from different Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian National Forum on Adult Learning and Education was held in Mykolayiv on October 10-11, 2024. Its organizers were the Representative Office of DVV International in Ukraine and the Continental Exchange Project from DVV International (Continental Exchange project) together with the NGO "Adult Education Center "South", the European Training Foundation and the Ukrainian Adult Education Association.
The event was held in a mixed format with the possibility of online and offline participation. The face-to-face part of the Forum took place in the "Hvylia" Youth Center. The Forum program included presentations by stakeholders of Mykolayiv in the field of public participation and adult education, representatives of DVV International and the European Training Foundation, work in groups with the exchange of best practices, as well as visits to local centers of adult learning and education.
One of the focuses of the event was the discussion of the draft law "On Adult Education" and its advocacy strategies. The law is designed to regulate the field of adult education in Ukraine, ensure its effective financing and create a legislative framework for the functioning of adult education institutions. More than a thousand amendments have been submitted to the draft law. These amendments will be reviewed by the Committee on Science, Education and Innovation before sending the document to a vote for adoption. The final adoption of the draft law will allow every person to retrain or acquire new skills.
According to the results of the discussion, the advocacy campaign of the draft law should include such components as:
1. support of the law "On Adult Education" through the involvement of key stakeholders at the local and national levels;
2. retraining and support of new professions through the development and implementation of programs for the retraining of veterans, internally displaced persons and persons who lost their jobs due to the war;
3. international initiatives and integration of experience using successful cases from Germany, Denmark and Northern Ireland to build a system of adult education in Ukraine, as well as preparation of the base for Ukraine in the context of European integration;
4. civic education and volunteering to involve a wide range of citizens in social activity as a part of the broad understanding of adult education;
5. information campaign in media to popularize adult education as a tool for professional retraining and social integration.
More about the Forum in media: