Get an education at the expense of the state program

Ukraine has a state program for obtaining vouchers for education for various professions. The program is aimed at covering the cost of education for a future employee, in whole or in part, and is available to both individuals and businesses.

In other words, a voucher for education from the state is a document that gives the right to free education in a certain list of specialties in most educational institutions in Ukraine. One person can receive a voucher only once. The person chooses the form and place of study, as well as the profession or specialty in which he or she wants to undergo retraining, training or advanced training.

Voucher conditions

• Vouchers for training can be obtained in 123 specialties defined by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
• The list includes the following professions: beekeeper; road worker; cutter; tailor; confectioner; cook; painter; farm worker; nurse practitioner (nurse’s assistant); mechanic; seamstress; agronomy; veterinary medicine; design; marketing; business, trade, etc.
• The voucher can be used in an educational institution that is licensed to carry out this type of activity.
• The educational institution can be chosen after reviewing the applications, but the choice is limited to those institutions that have vacant places in the required specialty and are closest to the candidate’s place of residence.
• The cost of the voucher cannot exceed 10 times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons. If the cost of training exceeds this amount, the employer or individual pays the difference on their own.

Who can participate in the program

     The program is open to people who already have vocational, professional higher or higher education and are not registered as unemployed with the Employment Service. Such persons are approved in accordance with the Procedure for Issuing Vouchers to Support the Competitiveness of Certain Categories of Citizens in the Labor Market, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (CMU) on March 20, 2013, No. 207.

In particular, the following categories can apply:

1. Citizens over 45 years of age with at least 15 years of insurance coverage before reaching the statutory retirement age.
2. Persons dismissed from service in the internal affairs agencies, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, civil defense agencies, tax police, the Bureau of Economic Security or the State Penitentiary Service due to staff reductions or for health reasons before reaching retirement age, if they have at least 10 years of service.
3. Dismissed from military service, before reaching retirement age and subject to application within three years from the date of dismissal.
4. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) of working age who are unemployed.
5. Persons in respect of whom the fact of deprivation of personal liberty as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine has been established, after their release.
6. Persons with disabilities in the absence of suitable work.
7. Persons who, during the period of martial law in Ukraine, were injured, contused, maimed or ill as a result of military aggression, being directly in the areas of hostilities, if there are relevant recommendations in the individual rehabilitation plan, regardless of the establishment of disability.

The following persons cannot receive a voucher:

• are registered unemployed
• are unemployed, but have a suitable job available to them as of the date of application
• have undergone retraining within the last three years at the expense of the State Unemployment Insurance Fund
• do not have a vocational (vocational-technical), professional pre-university or higher education.

How to apply

     To receive a voucher, you need to apply online or in person at the nearest employment center. An online application is processed within 3 business days from the date of submission. Then the employment center specialist contacts the candidate.

When filling out the online form, you must specify:

1. Already existing education
2. The category of voucher you belong to (IDP, person with a disability, discharged from military service, etc.)
3. Desired profession/specialty and the region where you want to receive it
4. Address of the employment center where you will receive the voucher
5. Contact details and e-mail address

What documents must an IDP submit to the employment center to receive a voucher?

    In order to receive a voucher, a person submits an application to the employment center and also presents

– passport of a citizen of Ukraine

– employment record book (duplicate of the employment record book) or information on employment from the register of insured persons of the State Register of Compulsory State Social Insurance. If the employment record book is kept by the employer, a copy of it certified by the employer is submitted. In the absence of an employment record book or relevant entries in it, a certificate or civil law contract confirming the period of employment of the person shall be submitted

– a document on vocational (vocational-technical), professional higher education or higher education (duplicates of such documents) or a document on education (if available)

– a document certifying registration in the State Register of Individuals – Taxpayers (except for persons who, due to their religious beliefs, refuse to accept the registration number of the taxpayer’s account card and have officially notified the relevant supervisory authority and have a mark in the passport of a citizen of Ukraine), which is provided in the absence of information on the registration number of the taxpayer’s account card in the passport of a citizen of Ukraine

– information on the number of the certificate of registration of an internally displaced person, the date of issue and the name of the issuing authority.

Which regulatory legal acts (RLA) regulate

1. The Law of Ukraine “On Employment of the Population” (Article 1, Article 30)
2. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 20.03.2013 No. 207 “On Approval of the Procedure for Issuing Vouchers to Support the Competitiveness of Certain Categories of Citizens in the Labor Market”
3. Order of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine of 11.04.2023 No. 2040 “On Approval of the List of Professions and Specialties for which a voucher may be issued”
4. Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine of 06.11.2015 No. 1151 “On the peculiarities of implementing the list of fields of knowledge and specialties for which higher education applicants are trained, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of April 29, 2015 No. 266”

  A voucher for education in Ukraine is a promising tool for ensuring accessibility and quality of education. The voucher allows students to choose educational institutions and programs independently, which promotes competition between educational institutions and, as a result, improves the level of educational services. Vouchers can be particularly useful for supporting people from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing them with the opportunity to receive a quality education and improve their life prospects.

The introduction of a voucher system requires careful planning and regulation to avoid possible abuse and ensure the efficient use of funds. It is important to take into account the experience of other countries that have successfully implemented similar programs and adapt them to Ukrainian realities. In addition, it is necessary to ensure sufficient funding and support from the state for the stable functioning of the voucher system.

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