Ignoring the crisis

Author: Sergei KomissarovPhoto: InterMedia consulting

As well as in the years of criticized by present Ukrainian leader "socialistic stagnation", in spite of crisis, notice boards of many industrial interstices are the same as in bygone days.

Grinders, metalworkers, turners, punchers, millers, electricians, sanitary technicians, builders are required... In a word, w-o-r-k-e-r-s! And this is in times of officially existing unemployment!

According to the State service of employment of Ukraine, annually deficit of workers in the State is at least 200 thousand of people. But there is lack of workers.

On the one hand, lack of labour recourses is a consequence of demographic crisis. On the other hand, less and less girls and boys intend to enter vocational school. Prestige of working professions in Ukraine is the lowest of the law.

Oleksiy Myroshnychenko, vice president of the Confederation of employers:

In conditions of economic decline we must develop inner market of labour and branches with fast turnover of capital.

The State has done everything possible and impossible in order to destroy a prestige of working professions completely.

The State committee for vocational education is destroyed. 920 vocational schools are left without administration. Only names were changed. Now common vocational schools are called colleges, and in reality nothing has changed for the better.  

Our government doesn't respect hard workers. If we begin to respect citizens, then we will mange to pull out the root of the evil. Recently I have had a working trip to Finland. It is easier to enter the institute, then ordinary vocational school where people obtain working professions. In Finland children go to the vocational schools because they are sure: having finished this school, they will always obtain high salary, they will be respected. Leaders of Ukraine must tend to this.  

Svitlana Dobrovolska, director of Kyiv high vocational school of technology and design:

- Children - at least on TV - have seen how children who live abroad. Girls don't want to be weavers or seamstress. They want to work in warm and to get salary here and now!

Graduators of my school just can't go anywhere after receiving of a seamstress specialty. All garment factories are closed, there were privatized by new "owners of life".

Let's ask leadership of Ukraine, Kyiv administration: what have they done in order young people want to get a working specialty? They have done nothing!

Volodymyr Halytskyi, director of State service of employment of Ukraine:

- The question on salary is important, but it is not the most important condition in order young man to choose the working profession. This must be purposeful, many years program of the State. Everything begins with professional orientation.

It will be possible to speak about some positive results in three-four years.

It's a pity, but young people don't know, and this is because of weak work of State information structures, that today a tuner or milling machine operator of the 4-5^th category receives at least USD 800-900. And it is very difficult to find workers of such specialists.  

Pleh Vugman, vice president of industrial company:

- Industrial enterprises of Ukraine must transfer to modern technologies in order young people to intend to such deficit working professions. If technologies are really implemented, then it will be possible to speak about high level of education of students of vocational schools.

Oleksandr Melnyk, psychologist:

- Recently the Institute of education problems of the Academy of pedagogical sciences of Ukraine has completed the advertisements' monitoring on five national TV channels. Results of the monitoring terrify. Advertisement never mentions working professions.

The monitoring has showed: the main hobby of modern so called "successful youth" which is popularized on TV is beer, vodka and salo.

There was no positive information about working professions on TV for youth for last ten years. This is one of reasons of negative attitude of young people to constructive labour, as such.