Strengthening vocational qualifications to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and long‑term recovery

1. Introduction

VET qualifications link education systems and labour markets by certifying knowledge, skills and competences against recognised occupational, task-specific and transversal requirements. When well designed, they support school-to-work transitions, upskilling and reskilling by signalling competences that employers can understand and trust (OECD, 2023[1]).

For Ukraine, VET qualifications are also a policy instrument for reconstruction and economic modernisation. In a context shaped by reconstruction needs, displacement, labour shortages and EU accession, credible and regularly updated qualifications can certify labour-market-relevant skills, support progression into skilled occupations and help adults adapt to changing demand.

Although the paper focusses on Ukraine, its insights are relevant for OECD Member countries facing similar pressures to make qualifications more responsive to technological change, migration, labour shortages, the green and digital transitions, and adult upskilling and reskilling needs. Ukraine’s reform experience illustrates a broader policy challenge: preserving trust while making vocational qualifications more flexible, modular, comparable and usable across learning and work contexts.

This paper first describes Ukraine’s VET qualification system and recent reforms. It then examines four challenges: responsiveness to changing skill needs, integration of micro-qualifications, assessment credibility and employer engagement. It concludes with policy options centred on recognised modules, proportionate updating, sectoral collaboration and European alignment, micro-qualifications and stronger assessment practices.

1.1. Context and objective

The OECD’s four‑year Ukraine Country Programme supports national recovery and development priorities, EU accession aspirations and alignment with OECD standards and good practices (OECD, 2023[2]). Within this framework, VET is a strategic priority because of its role in labour-market reintegration, skill shortages, productivity and social cohesion.

Ukraine’s VET system faces long-standing pressures that have intensified since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Between 1991 and 2021, the number of VET institutions declined from 1 246 to around 710, while enrolment fell from approximately 643 400 learners to 246 900, reflecting demographic decline, growing labour shortages, economic restructuring and successive reforms (Melnyk, n.d.[3]). Since 2021, displacement, migration, population ageing and war-related damage have further reduced labour supply and widened regional disparities (Kyiv School of Economics, 2025[4]).

Russia’s full-scale invasion continues to damage educational infrastructure, displace learners and staff, and interrupt practical training. At the same time, reconstruction needs are acute in sectors such as construction, energy, logistics and utilities, where employers require timely and credible certification of competences (OECD, 2025[5]; Kyiv School of Economics, 2025[4]). Ukraine’s EU accession path increases the importance of aligning qualifications with European transparency and recognition instruments.

This paper examines how Ukraine’s qualification system can respond more effectively to evolving labour-market needs. It identifies policy options to strengthen the relevance, quality, coherence and timeliness of vocational qualifications, supporting upskilling, reskilling and labour mobility in a reconstruction context.

1.2. The VET and qualification system in Ukraine

1.2.1. Overview of the VET system

Ukraine’s VET system comprises early vocational orientation at lower-secondary level, upper-secondary VET as the main entry point, and professional pre‑higher education at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 5. In 2024, around 36‑40% of ninth graders opted for VET programmes, reflecting renewed policy attention to vocational pathways (Shumik, 2025[6]). Provision is delivered by vocational schools, vocational lyceums, higher vocational schools and VET centres, serving young learners and adults, including through workplace‑based training arrangements.

Most VET institutions are overseen by the Ministry of Education and Science, with some subordinated to other ministries (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, 2022[7]). Since 2016, decentralisation reforms have transferred ownership and management of many VET schools and centres from the central state to municipal authorities, increasing the importance of local accountability, employer co‑operation and regional labour-market alignment (Barabash and Khaniuk, 2024[8]).

Modernisation and investment efforts, including the EU4Skills initiative and the government’s #100 Workshops programme, support equipment upgrades, digital provision and teacher development, as summarised in Annex B (USIF, n.d.[9]; EU NEIGHBOURS east, 2023[10]).

Within this broader VET system, vocational qualifications constitute a distinct policy and governance domain. The remainder of this section focusses on their architecture, governance and operation.

1.2.2. Governance of the VET qualification system

Governance of vocational qualifications involves several actors. The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for overall policy steering and educational standards. The National Qualifications Agency (NQA), established in 2019, co‑ordinates the development and updating of occupational standards, maintains national registers, accredits Qualification Centres and supports alignment with the EQF. Employer involvement is channelled mainly through SQCs, although coverage remains uneven across sectors. Where SQCs are absent, the NQA co‑ordinates standard development directly with employers and education providers. The Unified Qualifications Register – Classification of Occupations entered into operation in May 2026 and systematises information on occupations, professional qualifications, professional standards and Qualification Centres. As of August 2026, the register lists 571 professional standards and 270 Qualification Centres. The NQA describes the system as operating in pilot mode, indicating that further technical and functional development is ongoing (Legislation of Ukraine, n.d.[11]).

As part of ongoing reforms, the NQF and occupational standards are being updated to support competence‑based and more modular qualification pathways. These updates aim to improve responsiveness to labour-market change, particularly in sectors affected by reconstruction, technological transformation and evolving regulatory requirements.

1.2.3. Architecture of vocational qualifications

Ukraine’s qualification system distinguishes between occupational standards and professional qualifications. Occupational standards define labour-market requirements in terms of work functions, tasks and expected outcomes. Professional qualifications certify individuals against these standards and can be obtained independently of the learning pathway, including through non-formal and informal learning. Vocational qualifications are typically obtained through VET programmes delivered by education providers and often serve as the main pathway to professional qualifications.

Qualifications are described in learning outcomes and referenced to NQF levels 3‑5, with level 5 providing progression towards higher education. Both full and partial professional qualifications are legally recognised. Partial professional qualifications are already used in recognition procedures, while their systematic integration into VET modular pathways is still developing. Training programmes are commonly organised into modules, but modularity is still used mainly for delivery rather than qualification governance.

For the purposes of this paper, recognised modules refer to defined components of a vocational qualification that are described in learning outcomes, linked to assessment requirements and connected to a full or partial qualification. This distinguishes them from provider-specific curricular modules used only for programme delivery, and from short non-formal courses developed outside the qualification system.

1.2.4. Assessment and certification of professional qualifications

Ukraine has established a model that strengthens the functional separation between training provision and certification of professional qualifications. Qualification Centres accredited by the NQA assess candidates against occupational standards regardless of how competences were acquired. They may operate under different institutional arrangements, including within or through VET institutions, but the 2025 Law on Professional Education restricts Qualification Centres created in or founded by a VET institution from routinely assessing and awarding or confirming professional qualifications for that institution’s own current or former learners, subject to legally defined exceptions.

RPL is embedded in the professional qualification assessment framework used by Qualification Centres. Candidates may have competences acquired through formal, non-formal or informal learning assessed against the relevant professional qualification requirements. The national procedure includes a review of submitted evidence, an interview with the applicant and assessment, while specific assessment methods depend on the qualification and applicable assessment procedure (National Qualifications Agency (Ukraine), n.d.[12]). Assessment outcomes also contribute to quality assurance, as high rates of non-certification can trigger audits and follow-up measures for training providers.

1.2.5. Recent reform of the qualification system

A major institutional reform entered into force in September 2025 with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Professional Education” (No. 4574‑IX), modernising the legal and organisational framework for vocational education and qualifications (Legislation of Ukraine, 2026[13]). The law introduces provisions to support a more flexible, labour-market-oriented VET system, including clearer qualification pathways, certification through accredited Qualification Centres with safeguards against routine self-certification by training providers, strengthened employer involvement, greater institutional autonomy and expanded lifelong learning opportunities. It also clarifies the scope and levels of vocational qualifications and introduces risk-based quality assurance arrangements linked to assessment outcomes. Where 25% or more of an institution’s candidates are refused certification by Qualification Centres, an unscheduled audit may be triggered under the legal framework, with repeated shortcomings potentially leading to licence withdrawal for the profession concerned. Existing diplomas and certificates remain valid and recognised during the transition period.

The reform also strengthens lifelong learning access for priority groups, including internally displaced persons, veterans and women, and anticipates stronger employer involvement in programme content and delivery. Its effectiveness will depend on implementation through regions, institutions, Qualification Centres and secondary legislation, including recent arrangements to translate veterans’ military experience into civilian competences and qualifications (Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, n.d.[14]).