On October 19, 2023, a roundtable meeting on the topic "Ways to improve educational programs for training higher education seekers in the specialties 182 Light Industry Technologies and 015 Professional Education in modern conditions" was held in the conference hall of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design within the framework of the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference of Textile and Fashion Technologies "KyivTex&Fashion". The purpose of the event was to discuss educational and professional programs for the training of higher education seekers of the first (bachelor's) and second (master's) levels in the specialties 182 Light Industry Technologies and 015 Professional Education.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of light industry enterprises, educational institutions of Ukraine, potential employers, students, and other stakeholders.
The meeting was opened by the moderator Nataliia Ostapenko, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Fashion. Nataliia Valentynivna informed the participants about the agenda of the event, reminded them of the systematic meetings with stakeholders to discuss the educational and professional programs of the specialty 182 Light Industry Technologies, namely "Modeling, Design, Construction and Artistic Decoration of Light Industry Products" and "Design and Technology of Garments", "Fashion Industry", "Computer Design in the Fashion Industry" and specialty 015 Professional Education under the educational and professional program "Professional Education (Technology of Light Industry Products)" at various venues and formats: at university-wide and business events in the industry, competitive industry and educational events as jury members, work of final examination commissions, at enterprises during practical training, specialized exhibitions, forums, etc. She emphasized that employers are the first to feel the need for relevant specialists with a certain set of professional competencies.
The moderator testified to the high level of cooperation with external stakeholders who make suggestions, provide practical advice on improving educational programs, and provide production facilities for students to undergo internships. Nataliia Ostapenko also invited the roundtable participants to express their suggestions on the draft educational programs of the specialties 182 Light Industry Technologies and 015 Professional Education in the 2024 edition.
The roundtable was attended by Tetiana Izovit, President and CEO of the Ukrainian Association of Light Industry Enterprises; business representatives - Liudmyla Ivanova, Director of Dana-Moda LLC, Tetiana Abramova, Director of Rito Fashion House LLC, Oleh Pyvovar, Director of Hydrostyl LLC, Tamara Shtupun head of the personnel management service of the separate subdivision "TK-Style" of LLC "Textile-Contact" (Chernihiv), Anton Yevenko, representative of Abrams, Daryna Atamanenko, HR manager of Surikat, Tetiana Tsymbal, co-owner and designer of the Helissen brand, as well as a representative of a state institution - Victor Drychyk, Chief Specialist of the Military Uniform Development Department of the Material Development Department of the Central Directorate for Development and Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel, who emphasized the demand for future fashion designers, designers, technologists of clothing, footwear, accessories, and textile workers following the requirements of the modern labor market.
Representatives of the educational community of Ukraine, namely: Hanna Shchutska, PhD, Professor, director of Kyiv Professional College of Applied Sciences; Tetiana Nadopta, PhD, Associate Professor, head of the Department of Fashion Industry in Light Industry, Khmelnytsky National University; Larysa Tretiakova, PhD, Professor, Professor of the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial and Civil Security, NTUU "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute"; Andrii Slizkov, PhD, Professor, Professor of the Department of Commodity Research and Customs at the State University of Trade and Economics; Halyna Ripka, PhD, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Light Industry Technologies; and Yevhen Maznev, PhD, Associate Professor at Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, shared with the participants their vision of the current problems of the light industry and ways to overcome them following the requirements of the modern educational market. They focused on the proportional theoretical and practical training and sufficient consideration of stunents’ the needs in their individual educational trajectory.
The representatives of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, in particular: Maryna Kolosnichenko, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Director of the Student Center for Fashion, Creative Ideas and Creativity; Liudmyla Halavska, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Research Department; Nataliia Pervaia, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Fashion Technology; Olha Haranina, PhD, Professor, Head of the Department of Fashion Technology; Maria Bilianska, Doctor of Pedagogy, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Professional Education in Technology and Design; Tetiana Struminska, PhD, Professor of the Department of Fashion and Style; Arseniy Arabuli, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Fashion and Style; Halyna Tokar, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Fashion and Style, focused on the systematic involvement of leading practitioners, representatives of light industry enterprises in conducting lectures and practical classes for higher education students, which ensured the deepening of their professional competencies and the acquisition of practical skills that are currently relevant in production.
During the event, the guarantors of the EPP delivered speeches, namely: Larysa Bilotska, PhD, Associate Professor (EPP "Design and Technology of Garments", "Fashion Industry"), Alla Rubanka, PhD, Associate Professor, Nataliia Ostapenko (EPP "Modeling, Design and Artistic Decoration of Light Industry Products"), Victoria Kernesh, PhD, Associate Professor, Nataliia Pershova (EPP "Fashion Industry", "Computer Design in the Fashion Industry"), Maria Bilianska, PhD, Associate Professor (EPP "Professional Education (Technology of Light Industry Products)"). They presented the content of the educational components, their logically interconnected system, which together make it possible to achieve the stated goals and PLOs. The guarantors also noted the degree of identity and uniqueness of each program, differences from the educational programs of 2022 and 2023.
During the discussion, the moderator of the event, Nataliia Ostapenko, noted that the analysis of the trajectory of professional success of graduates of the specialty's EPD, the development of related EPDs in Ukrainian and European universities, confirmed the expediency of expanding the practice bases for acquiring competencies in order to solve complex specialized tasks and practical problems.
The individual educational trajectory of KNUTD higher education seekers is formed, among other things, through the choice of practice bases. Liudmyla Ivanova, Director of Dana-Fashion LLC, noted that today the real sector of the economy, in particular manufacturers of clothing, underwear, and equipment, needs specialists with creative thinking, initiative, mobile, and capable of introducing new technologies into production processes, who have in-depth knowledge of the design and manufacturing technologies for garments of various assortments and purposes, computer technologies for designing and manufacturing clothing. The speaker noted that the synergy of educators and employers is also important in popularizing the profession, the industry's potential, and career guidance among young people when they choose their own professional path. During her speech, Liudmyla Ivanivna emphasized the prospects for developing cooperation between the university and Dana-Fashion LLC, and testified to the company's readiness to provide its own material and technical base for internships and undergraduate studies.
At the roundtable, an external stakeholder Tetiana Abramova supported the direction of development of the specialty 182 Light Industry Technologies and readiness for further cooperation, positively assessed the practical orientation of the presented educational and professional programs, and expressed readiness to conduct career guidance work to popularize the specialty 182 Light Industry Technologies among the employees of the enterprise.
Tamara Stupun, head of the HR department of the separate subdivision "TK-Style" of LLC "Textile-Contact" (Chernihiv), also pointed out the painful problem of the lack of qualified personnel in the industry.
During the discussion of the educational and professional programs of the specialty 182 Light Industry Technologies, Hanna Shchutska, Director of the Kyiv Professional College of Applied Sciences, raised an urgent issue for most institutions of all levels of education that despite the obvious need for young professionals, there are certain problems in the attitude of mid-level production employees to student interns. She drew the attention of employer stakeholders to the fact that the desire of students to work in the garment industry can grow if the management and staff have a tolerant policy towards young professionals.
Daryna Atamanenko, HR Manager at Surikat Company, noted that production today requires qualified specialists for various production links, so there is a need to strengthen the practical training of applicants to form a highly qualified specialist; introduce elements of dual education at the relevant enterprises. A specialist must have high-quality practical training, know all technological transitions, be able to work on modern production equipment and be ready for continuous development, taking into account new labor market requirements. The representative of Surikat expressed her readiness to facilitate practical training of higher education students, provide them with internships and a basis for research. She also proposed to introduce dual education for higher education students of the Fashion Industry, Computer Design in the Fashion Industry, and Design and Technology of Clothing programs within the production process.
Tetiana Tsymbal, co-owner and designer of the Helissen brand, emphasized the importance of deepening the study of topics on modern methods of decorating and finishing fashion products for students majoring in 182 Light Industry Technologies.
Viktor Drychyk, Chief Specialist of the Military Uniform Development Department of the Material Development Department of the Central Directorate for Development and Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel, Anton Yevenko, representative of Abrams, and Oleh Pyvovar, Director of Hydrostyl LLC, focused the participants’ attention on the lack of specialists in designing special and military products who understand the peculiarities of their design and processing, as well as working with modern materials. In the context of war and post-war reconstruction, there is a need to develop sound design and technological solutions for sets of products for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other agencies, and accordingly, it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of higher education seekers by introducing more educational components aimed at studying the features of the design and manufacture of military products.
A representative of Abrams Company offered to conduct excursions to the experimental workshop for students of different courses of educational and industrial practice to learn about the company's activities and deepen their knowledge in the design of special and military products.
During the meeting, the representatives of business, education and organizations held a productive and constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues, including graduate employment, industrial and pre-graduate practical training.
During the meeting, a wide range of issues related to the quality of training and employment of graduates of the educational programs "Modeling, Design and Artistic Decoration of Light Industry Products" and "Design and Technology of Clothing Products", "Fashion Industry", "Computer Design in the Fashion Industry" were considered and discussed. The participants in the roundtable exchanged views on the content of educational competencies of educational and professional programs necessary for the training of competitive experts in the labor market; considered the issue of bringing the educational process closer to the needs of production, continuing cooperation in the internship of students at enterprises; wished the University continuous development, unity of generations and determination to succeed. Summarizing the work of the sectional meeting, the moderator thanked all those present for the proposals made during the discussion to improve the educational programs of the specialties 182 Light Industry Technologies and 015 Professional Education.
The participants of the event exchanged views on the draft educational programs for 2024, supported them and expressed their suggestions that would improve the educational process. In general, the external stakeholders noted the positive changes in the educational programs and expressed their readiness for further closer cooperation. The stakeholders positively assessed the practical orientation of the presented educational and professional programs, emphasized the relevance and need to further strengthen their technological component.
Within a month of the roundtable, the relevant long-term internship agreements were signed with Dana-Fashion LLC, Rito Fashion House LLC, Surikat, Abrams, Advertising Textiles LLC, Home Textiles LLC, and Zhenadin LLC, which indicates that further cooperation and interaction between education and business representatives will be strengthened.
28.11.2023
