Since the fall of 2022, our NGO Open University of the Maidan is one of the INCO Academy – Work in Tech program providers across Ukraine.
As part of the program, one thousand of our compatriots got a chance to grow the necessary skills to support a career in technology and IT. All program participants are extraordinary people. They found an opportunity to continue learning even during blackouts and rocket attacks. Many of them have lost not only their job but also their housing, some are studying and risking their lives – living under the occupation or serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces. Some participants have already completed the training and received professional Google certificates, while some are still in the process and should complete the course in August 2023.
Despite IT education is not our activity priority area, thanks to participation in the project we managed to create a powerful team of mentors and coaches and develop our methodology for supporting groups during online education, which can now be effectively applied to any programs and audiences.
“We created more than just a curriculum with access to professional courses. Thanks to INCO’s idea of providing participants with mentoring support and assistance in acquiring soft skills and employment, we at the Open University of the Maidan managed to create a harmonious interaction system focused on people who want to learn and people who can share their experiences. An exciting additional effect of this program is that the psychological support works much deeper than we initially thought”, – this is how the Deputy Head of the VUM NGO Kateryna Batsenko described our new experience in her speech at the Paris City Hall during the 10th anniversary IMPACT² conference – the international event for a new economy, more inclusive and more sustainable.