Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation. The goal of development cooperation is that of reducing poverty. It is meant to foster economic self-reliance and state autonomy, to contribute to the improvement of production conditions, to help in finding solutions to environmental problems, and to provide better access to education and basic healthcare services. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is responsible for the overall coordination of development cooperation alongside other federal offices, as well as for Swiss humanitarian aid. It focuses on fragile and conflict-affected regions, and works to alleviate need and poverty, uphold human rights, promote democracy and protect the environment.
In the Skills Alliance for Ukraine, SDC is represented with two projects:
• The “Public Private Development Partnership to Improved Professional Education in Ukraine” aims at supporting Ukraine in introducing European standards in vocational education and training (VET). This shall lead to improved skills and knowledge of graduates in construction sector professions and therefore directly contribute to their employability. The project is expected to have a visible impact on the training providers as well as on the students by facilitating their access to employment and income. This initiative is formed as an indirect Public-Private Development Partnership (PPDP). The model of public-private partnership in vocational education developed within the project, ensures modern market-oriented education for constructions sector professions and serves as an example of education system reform on this and other professions in Ukraine. The main objectives are that people have access to a performing, labour market-oriented education and training offer in the construction sector and that the private sector takes responsibility in the definition, provision and financing of VET in the construction sector at the provider level. A new reconstruction component has been added to the project with the goal to rehabilitate selected vocational training schools located in frontline regions following a Build Back Better adage. The target groups of the project will be youth (initial VET), returning migrants and professionals with skills acquired on the job and adults seeking a career change including war veterans (upskilling / retraining of adults).”
• The “Decentralisation for Improved Democratic Education” project aims at ensuring equal access to quality education through consolidation of the schools’ network by clustering communities around the so-called “hub schools”. The reform also foresees: creating an effective education governance system at different governance levels; transforming schools into educational and cultural hubs in communities; establishing interaction between the school, local authorities and the local community; transparent and effective management of school budgets; an effective system of quality control and monitoring of performance in provision of school education services.
In 2023, and in close coordination with the Ukrainian government, a specific VET component has been added to the project. The Ministry of Education and Science is willing to adopt certain elements of the Swiss VET system and thus proposed this extension. The intervention reinforces the Swiss commitment to support decentralized governance reforms and ensures an important contribution to the VET system which is crucial for the post-war recovery of Ukraine. The VET governance component substantively contributes to the implementation of the education reform in Ukraine in the context of EU integration, with the focus on creation of vocational colleges as a part of the reform of profession-oriented high schools. The new activities are implemented in a close coordination and in partnership of the Ministry of Education, the pilot regions and relevant local self-governments, focusing on developing their capacities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the VET system in Ukraine.
As of May 2025, 7,022 people have been trained via the Public Private Partnership to Improved Professional Education project. This includes 717 women, 380 IDPs, 33 veterans, and 97 people with disabilities.
Through Decentralisation for Improved Democratic Education, 948 beneficiaries have been reached.