This paper is based on a qualitative methodology combining desk research, targeted stakeholder consultations and OECD-led workshops. The approach was designed to triangulate evidence from multiple sources and to complement existing analytical work on vocational education and training (VET) and qualifications in Ukraine.
Desk research formed the core analytical foundation of the study and involved a structured review of Ukrainian legislation, policy documents and administrative data, as well as analytical and institutional reports from national authorities, international organisations and research institutes. This review was complemented by international comparative evidence, notably OECD and EU analyses on vocational qualifications, assessment systems, modularisation and micro-credentials.
To deepen understanding of implementation issues and system dynamics, a limited number of exploratory consultations were conducted through targeted questionnaires addressed to key stakeholder groups, including VET institutions, employers, students and representatives of the NQA. These consultations were not intended to be statistically representative. Rather, they were used to explore practices, clarify institutional arrangements and complement findings from desk research.
The questionnaires were distributed through targeted outreach to individual representatives and organisations via email, institutional networks and direct online correspondence. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The qualitative material included responses from 41 students, 29 VET institutions, five employers, inputs from the NQA and one additional institutional response from a VET institution. Respondents were selected to reflect relevant stakeholder categories and to provide practical insights into qualification design, updating, modular learning, micro-credentials, assessment, employer engagement and recognition of prior learning. Given the limited sample size and exploratory design, findings were used to identify recurring implementation issues, not as representative evidence of the Ukrainian VET system as a whole.
The analysis also draws on insights from two OECD-led international workshops organised in 2025 as part of the Ukraine Country Programme. These workshops brought together Ukrainian authorities and international experts to discuss qualification design, assessment, modularisation and micro-credentials, and provided comparative examples from countries such as Finland, Estonia, Croatia and South Korea. The discussions helped contextualise international practices and refine the policy options presented in this paper in light of Ukraine’s institutional framework and reform priorities.
The qualitative material from desk research, consultations and workshops was analysed thematically, with attention to recurring challenges, reform levers and implementation constraints. While not exhaustive, this mixed and exploratory approach provides a robust, practice‑oriented basis for assessing the current functioning of the VET qualification system in Ukraine and for identifying policy options that are compatible with existing reforms and implementation capacity.