How can vocational education be better aligned with the real needs of manufacturing?

Close and Systematic Cooperation Between Business and Educational Institutions

A few days ago, the management of the Lviv Professional College of Applied Arts and Design held a working meeting with representatives of the Eberhard-Schöck-Stiftung Foundation and FIX Street Furniture.

This is another step towards strengthening cooperation between education, international organisations and business, with the aim of making vocational training as closely aligned as possible with the realities of the production environment.

From Education to Real-World Employment

One of the key objectives of this cooperation is to create opportunities for students not only to acquire theoretical knowledge but also to gain practical experience directly within a company.

Dual Education, Work-Based Training and Future Employment

The focus is on a systematic model in which business becomes an active participant in preparing future professionals, while students gain first-hand experience with real technologies, equipment and production processes during their studies.

For FIX Street Furniture, this is also an opportunity to contribute to developing a new generation of specialists who understand the requirements of modern manufacturing and are ready to apply their knowledge in practice. The value lies not in waiting for a fully trained professional to join the company, but in working together with educational institutions to develop their professional competencies from the very beginning.

Seeing Production from the Inside

As part of the meeting, representatives of the college visited FIX Street Furniture’s production facilities and learned more about the company’s technologies and equipment. This included a new laser machine purchased with co-financing and a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund.

Initiatives like this give Ukrainian veteran-owned businesses the opportunity to grow, develop and contribute to positive change in the country.

Direct interaction between the educational environment and manufacturing helps identify which skills need to be strengthened in educational programmes, how practical training should be organised, and what professional development opportunities can be offered to students.

Business as Part of Education Development Governance

An important outcome of the meeting was an invitation for business representatives to join the Supervisory Board of the College.

This marks an important shift from individual joint initiatives towards long-term partnership. Involving employers in the strategic development of an educational institution makes it possible to take labour market needs into account when making management decisions and developing educational programmes.

This approach is also consistent with the college’s established model of cooperation with business, which includes practical student training, internships, the work of the Supervisory Board and the joint implementation of projects.

A Shared Strategy for the Future

Further cooperation will focus on several key areas:

• strategic management and partnership development;
• monitoring the quality of vocational training;
• investment in workforce development;
• organisation of practical training and student internships;
• joint implementation of educational and production projects.

For FIX Street Furniture, cooperation with vocational education is an investment not only in individual students but also in the future of the manufacturing sector.

For students, in turn, it is an opportunity to gain a real understanding of their profession while still studying, work with modern technologies and equipment, develop practical skills and potentially secure employment after graduation.

Partnership That Delivers Results

The Lviv Professional College of Applied Arts and Design has extensive experience working with both international and Ukrainian partners.

Cooperation with the Eberhard-Schöck-Stiftung Foundation has been ongoing since 2008 and focuses on the modernisation and development of vocational programmes related to carpentry and restoration. In 2026, the partners extended their post-project support for another five years.

Today, businesses are becoming an increasingly active part of this ecosystem.

Partnerships like these help bridge the gap between education and manufacturing, create more opportunities for young people and, at the same time, address one of the key challenges facing modern businesses: the need for motivated and well-trained professionals.

Joint efforts by educational institutions, businesses and international partners are an investment in people, manufacturing and the development of Ukraine’s industrial sector.