Brovary Vocational Lyceum was one of the first institutions to join the EdUP Project. Over the 8 years of the project, the institution has developed many areas of activity: from public private partnerships to career counselling for graduates. The lyceum is now actively developing training courses for adults. How is everything going? Let us tell you more.
Why did you decide to launch courses for adults?
Thanks to the project, the Lyceum was one of the first to create a training centre for plumbers. Having a great physical and operational background, we tried several times to launch adult training courses. First was a six-month vocational training course. Graduates received a state-issued certificate in the profession of “Installer of sanitary systems and equipment”.
Most often, the courses were attended by employed people who did not have nor time nor capacity for long-term training, and therefore preferred modular education. In addition, some of them did not plan to work as plumbers, but studied for home needs to be able to fix faucets, replace siphons, etc. As a result, the programmes did not take off.
Because of the war, more and more people decide to change their profession or upgrade their skills to get a job. Having spotted this trend, with the assistance of the EdUP experts, the Brovary Vocational Lyceum decided to return to the issue of adult education.
With the business planning experience gained through the EdUP project, the educators identified the steps to launch the courses. In search of an investor, they turned to the Union of Builders of Ukraine and presented a plan for short-term training in various modules: water supply, drainage, installation of all types of toilets, and underfloor heating. The target audience for the courses was identified as internally displaced persons, temporarily unemployed and general public or anyone interested in plumbing.
There is a huge shortage of workers in the market now, so the Union took interest in the offer.
The Lyceum has organised free ten-day courses for adults in the plumbing profession. Graduates would receive a certificate of completion.
To promote the courses, they launched an advert, including on social media. Local residents began to take an interest in the offer and asked questions about the training conditions. As a result, the lyceum recruited a first group of 10 people.
"Our director is a maximalist. If we take on any business, we do it as well as we can. The EdUP's business planning training has clarified many things, and we have become more open to partnerships. Thanks to the financial support of the Builders' Trade Union, we were able to purchase consumables and reimburse our teachers for their working hours. Now we will develop adult training courses on our own, as the demand is quite high. The first group has recently completed its training, and we already have 5 applications for a new enrolment,"
Who is interested in the course?
There were different people among the course participants. For example, an entrepreneur who wants to sell plumbing equipment. Through the course, he wanted to learn about modern systems and understand how they work. There were also two young guys who are now working as repairmen: plastering walls and laying tiles. They want to provide more services and earn more money, so they came to learn how to install plumbing devices.
"When the training was coming to an end, we asked them to fill in a feedback form. Among the suggestions were to hold classes in the evening or at least in the afternoon, or perhaps to move them to weekends. We are listening to the suggestions, because we want to be client-oriented,"
Graduates of the ten-day courses will at least be able to easily perform plumbing work at home. If they are seriously interested in the profession, they can take longer courses (3-6 months), study plumbing systems in depth and, upon completion of their studies, receive a document for official employment.
On the prospects
After the successful launch of the plumbing courses, the lyceum is planning to offer similar training for tilers and installers of building insulation systems.
In addition, the institution is interested in creating a qualification centre where learning outcomes are assessed. Based on the results of the assessment, a full or partial professional qualification can be awarded. Such centres do not provide training, but only assess knowledge for compliance with a professional standard.
On the impact of EdUP
"We are grateful to be a part of this Project. To tell the truth, we don't have the human resources to engage in partnerships, communication and development projects. So EdUP became a bridge that connected us with employers. While at the beginning, our key business partner was only Geberit, now we communicate with many manufacturers and send technicians to educational seminars and workshops. These events are also a great opportunity to communicate with colleagues from other regions. Another major contribution of the project is the renewal of the logistical capacity. When we set up the training centre, it was as if we had jumped through half a century. It was a breakthrough in the quality of practical training for students,"
She also said that the modernisation of the training centre had influenced the choice of profession of the applicants. When teenagers and their parents see that the lyceum has new equipment and tools, they trust the quality of training more. In recent years, the Brovary Vocational Lyceum has introduced a competition to enter the profession of Installer of Sanitary Systems and Equipment.
When planning the development of courses for adults, the lyceum hopes to get assistance from the project. For example, they are looking for business partners, investors, and employers.
In addition, training of craftsmen and improving their skills through various trainings, workshops, and seminars is an important support. To this end, the institution is ready to work and be a driver of qualitative change.
***
The Public-Private Partnership to Improved Plumbing Education (EdUP) is a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, in partnership with Geberit Trading LLC, implemented by Swisscontact Foundation for Technical Cooperation and supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.