Eight companies selected for Skill Partnerships: partnerships could mobilise up to €1.6 million for skills development

One of the key challenges facing Ukraine’s labour market today is the mismatch between people’s skills and employers’ needs. Businesses need specialists with specific, up-to-date competencies, while the training and reskilling system does not always keep pace with technological change and the evolving needs of the economy.

One of the priorities of the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine is therefore to move towards a model in which training and reskilling are built around the actual and projected demand of employers. The Employment Strategy 2030 provides for the development of lifelong learning, reskilling and upskilling for adults, as well as closer cooperation between businesses and education providers.

The Skill Partnerships for Productivity initiative within the Skills Alliance for Ukraine also supports these priorities. It enables companies to work together with Ukrainian vocational education and training providers to develop and modernise qualifications, curricula and practical training in line with specific workforce needs.

Selected partnerships and funding

On 16 September in Kyiv, during the third Coordination Meeting of the Skills Alliance for Ukraine, with the participation of the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, eight companies selected under the Skill Partnerships for Productivity call were announced.

The selected companies are:

• Altep
• AUTOCAPITAL
• BDO in Ukraine
• Limestone Ukraine
• Paton International
• Robert Bosch
• Siemens Healthineers Ukraine
• Sigma Software University

Each company will work in partnership with Ukrainian vocational education and training providers, adapting training to technological change and current labour market needs.

The Skills Alliance plans to provide up to €800,000 in financial support for the selected partnerships. Participating companies are expected to contribute an equivalent level of investment. In total, up to €1.6 million could be mobilised for skills development.

“Today, businesses need more than training programmes — they need opportunities to prepare specialists for specific production needs and technological change. This is the approach we want to scale across the labour market: first identify the employer’s actual needs, then determine which skills are missing, and build training or reskilling around them. Skill Partnerships give businesses a practical instrument to do this, while also allowing them to combine their own investment in people with support from international partners. For us, it is important to see more such partnerships,” said Dariia Marchak, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine.

The Skill Partnerships for Productivity call was launched in June at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk, following the signing of a Joint Declaration by Ukraine and Germany on the creation of Skill Partnerships within the Skills Alliance for Ukraine.

The idea behind the partnerships is to combine companies’ knowledge of new technologies, production processes and workforce needs with the expertise of training providers. These projects are intended not only to prepare specialists for individual companies, but also to create solutions that can later be used more broadly across the vocational education and training system.

Implementation of the selected partnerships will take place in two phases and begin in January 2027. They cover sectors important for Ukraine’s recovery and economic transformation, including construction, energy, logistics, manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare. Digitalisation and new technologies are cross-cutting elements across many of the selected projects.

“Skilled workers are essential for Ukraine’s economy, recovery and reconstruction. Skill Partnerships create a practical bridge between companies and training providers, giving businesses a concrete way to invest in the competencies they need while helping modernise vocational education. Germany is pleased to continue supporting this cooperation together with our Ukrainian and international partners,” said Jens Busma, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Skills Alliance results and next steps

The announcement of the selected companies was one of the key elements of the third Skills Alliance Coordination Meeting. Participants also discussed strategic priorities for skills development and vocational education, reviewed the Alliance’s second year of work and considered next steps.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, international partners and the Skills Alliance secretariat.

According to figures presented at the meeting, the Alliance now brings together 118 members and has mobilised around €1.2 billion for skills development. With support from its members, around 725,000 people have already completed training or gained new qualifications. The overall objective is to reach 840,000 people by 2027.

Looking ahead to URC 2027, the Alliance will continue to focus on cooperation with the private sector, recognition of qualifications, and financing for adult reskilling and upskilling.