Today, on the occasion of the solemn ceremony introducing Professor Valentyna Yakubiv, First Vice-Rector of the University, as the new Rector of Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Professor Mykola Trofymenko, visited the university.
After the solemn ceremony, Valentyna Yakubiv, together with Mykola Trofymenko, held a meeting with student activists and representatives of the student government.
During the conversation, they shared their vision for modernising the educational process, the priorities of state policy in the education sector, as well as the prospects for the university’s development in the face of today’s challenges. The student activists, in turn, asked questions about the possibilities of youth participation in decision-making, expanding academic mobility, improving curricula, and enhancing the quality of practical training.
Following the meeting, a briefing was held, attended by Deputy Minister Mykola Trofymenko, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the KNUVD and Chairman of the Business Association of Ivano-Frankivsk, Dmytro Romanyuk, as well as Chairman of the Association of City Self-Government, Yuriy Stefanchuk. During the briefing, participants outlined the role of supervisory boards in the development of modern universities and discussed the possibilities of cooperation between government bodies, businesses, and higher education institutions. In particular, they addressed the university experiment in creating a Supervisory Board, effective models of interaction with communities and the business environment, as well as the selection of a new rector of the KNUVD. By the way, the members of the Supervisory Board — Dmytro Romanyuk (chairman), Yana Stadilna (secretary), Vitaliy Myronyuk, Mykola Paliychuk, Taras Finikov, Roman Sheremeta and Tetyana Shippi — have been working at the university in a mixed format for two days, holding meetings with heads of structural units and joining strategic discussions on the development of the university.
One of the key events featuring the Deputy Minister’s participation was a roundtable with university stakeholders, the Ivano-Frankivsk Business Association, and the regional and city leadership, dedicated to the development of dual education and partnership forms of cooperation.
Among the main speakers were:
• Rector of the Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University — Valentyna Yakubiv;
• Chairman of the University Academic Council, Professor Igor Tsependa;
• Head of the Business Association of Ivano-Frankivsk — Dmytro Romanyuk;
• Chairman of the Association of Municipal Self-Government — Yuriy Stefanchuk;
• Member of the Board of the Ivano-Frankivsk Business Association — Halyna Hryvnak;
• representative of the student government — Maria Turelyk;
• Rector of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas — Ihor Chudyk.
The event was attended by representatives from various sectors, including students, businesses, territorial communities, guarantors of educational programs, and heads of academic institutions.
During the discussion, the parties discussed key issues of the development of the dual education system and the interaction of universities with employers, in particular:
• What kind of personnel does the region need most today, and what competencies should universities develop?
• how to build practical cooperation between business and university, in particular, using examples of existing dual programs;
• What role should communities play in supporting dual education?
• how to motivate employers to participate in staff training;
• what barriers exist in the regulatory framework and how they can be overcome;
• How to ensure employment for graduates after completing dual programs.
The event became an essential platform for dialogue among all stakeholders, allowing for the formation of a common understanding of new opportunities, challenges, and ways to improve the training of specialists who will work on the development of the region and Ukraine as a whole.
Ultimately, the Memorandum of Cooperation between the university, business representatives, and territorial communities on the development of dual education was solemnly signed. This document lays the foundation for expanding partnership programs, jointly developing educational trajectories, and creating new opportunities for students’ practical training.
