Replacing men: electrician training courses for women start up in Kyiv – photo

Electrician training courses for women have started up in Kyiv, helping women who have found themselves in difficult circumstances due to the war to learn a new profession.

The courses are aimed at women with disabilities, internally displaced people, single mothers, and those who lost their husbands in the war or whose husbands have been mobilised into the army.

Source: Kyiv City State Administration

Details: Larysa Polivko, coordinator of the career hub VONA ("Her"), told UP.Zhyttia that the labour market is currently crying out for specialists in electrical installation, as many vacancies remain unfilled.

Quote from Larysa Polivko: "Because so many men have gone to fight, there are vacancies in this field. We decided to train women in this profession so that they could find jobs and support themselves."

To enrol in the course, you need to contact the organisation and fill out an application form. Potential participants are then selected.

Quote: "Women who are interested in doing the course talk to our career counsellors so that we can identify their needs, abilities and goals. Not everyone is accepted onto the course. Out of 70 applications, we have selected only 18. The main criterion is motivation."

Polivko said that the course has both theoretical and practical components. The theory can be studied online. The women will do their practical training directly using the appropriate equipment at the Renewable Energy Training Centre.

In one month, helped by qualified teachers, they will have the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge about electrical installation, learn the basics of electrical equipment and its structure, learn the specifics of the power supply and how to work with solar panels.

Polivko says that they plan to create other similar educational offerings for women.

Quote: "This is the first pilot course for electricians. If the labour market needs more of these specialists, there will be further courses.

We used to run courses for sushi chefs, pet groomers, hairdressers – but these are female-dominated professions. Now we are expanding the list, and we’ve been asked to create a course for women who want to work as lorry drivers. You’ll need to have a driving licence to do that job."

Upon completion of the course, all participants will receive a certificate, and the hub coordinators will help them to find employment.

For reference:

120 free online courses are available on Ukrainian educational platforms for both women and men.

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