OREANDA-NEWS. February 15, 2012. Kiev and Donetsk have hosted meetings of employers, officials from the Ministry of Education and representatives of Ukrainian universities who gathered to discuss the global practice of establishing sector skills councils and developing occupational standards. The meeting was organised by SCM and the British Council and engaged as an expert Mr Kieran Quill, a representative of Cogent Sector Skills Council, UK.

The discussions were held on 8 February in Kyiv and on 9-10 February in Donetsk. The participants discussed the necessity of setting up sector skills councils, a kind of association of employers who will develop a kind of coordinated order for the system of education to train specialists. In addition, in Donetsk the experts also discussed the draft occupational standards for six pilot professions in three industries: mining and metals, power industry and journalism.

"Today young specialists in Ukraine really need to have an access to a "career elevator"; they should learn to get the right knowledge, which is required for professional growth and successful employment. In 2011 SCM launched a project to develop six job specifications, which are expected to give clear requirements of employers to young specialists and help universities to amend their curricula. The first six occupational standards will be developed and implemented within a pilot project before the end of 2012," noted SCM's Director of Corporate Communications Natalia Yemchenko. "All over the world sector skills councils are established to consolidate the efforts of all industry players, to develop, and what is more important, to update the job specifications."

The goal of a sector skills council is to study regularly the needs of companies in a specific industry and develop occupational standards for the system of education on the basis of their recommendations. In addition, sector skills councils develop and implement professional training programmes. At the meeting Kieran Quill, a representative of UK-based Cogent Sector Skills Council, shared his experience in establishment of similar institutions.