FACULTY AND STUDENTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES PARTICIPATED IN AN ONLINE EVENT HOSTED BY THE KHARKIV IT CLUSTER OPEN DAY

On September 16, 2026, faculty and students from the Department of Information and Computer Technologies at Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design participated in the Kharkiv IT Cluster Open Day online presentation titled “A Practical Bridge Between Education and the Real IT Industry.”

The event was attended by students majoring in F2 “Software Engineering” and G7 “Automation, Computer-Integrated Technologies, and Robotics” at the first (bachelor’s) and second (master’s) levels of higher education.

The meeting was moderated by Polina Reva, Educational Programs Coordinator at Kharkiv IT Cluster, who oversaw the event’s proceedings and facilitated communication between the student audience and representatives of IT companies.

The central part of the meeting consisted of presentations by representatives of four IT companies It-Jim, U-FORCE, HOSTiQ, and DataArt who discussed the specifics of working in the modern IT industry, career paths, and opportunities for young professionals.

It-Jim’s presentation was dedicated to “Building a Career in AI.” Oleg Leskiv, Ph.D., Head of Academic Partnerships at It-Jim, spoke about the company’s opportunities and activities.

Special attention was given to the It-Jim R&D Lab a three-month online program that involves participants in commercially oriented projects and provides them with the opportunity to work with experienced mentors.

Among the key areas, the speaker highlighted Computer Vision, Audio Processing, and Edge Deployment.

During the presentation, it was also emphasized that the company is working on tasks such as image and video analysis, spatial data, speech AI, audio processing and generation, as well as 3D environments, audio analysis, and face and body tracking.

Iryna Kozachenko, HR Manager at NVK U-FORCE LLC, spoke about U-FORCE’s activities and opportunities for young professionals.

She noted that U-FORCE positions itself as a Ukrainian research and manufacturing company operating in the fields of electronics, software, engineering, and VR technologies. During the meeting, the practical nature of the company’s work was emphasized, particularly the interaction between software and actual hardware.

The meeting participants were presented with a list of the specialists the company needs: Unity Developers, Unity VR Developers, testers, software engineers, electronics engineers, design engineers, and electronic systems developers.

For students and junior professionals, key factors include having a solid foundation of knowledge, a desire to learn, and the opportunity to demonstrate their experience through academic and pet projects.

It is important that U-FORCE involves students not only in developing professional skills but also in actively participating in the development of real-world products, which allows them to combine learning with practical experience.

Yulia Pimenova, Head of External Communications and Charity Project Manager at HOSTiQ, presented the opportunities the company offers to students.

Participants learned about HOSTiQ, a Ukrainian tech company based in Kharkiv, whose main areas of activity include hosting and domains, cloud solutions, security and support, as well as its own products and educational materials for the community.

Special attention was paid to professional diversity within the company. HOSTiQ has teams in Product, Developers & QA, TechOps, Network & R&D, Customer Support, Marketing, Billing, HR, PR, and Finance.

The organizational structure presented to the students demonstrated the variety of career paths available at a modern IT company and the opportunities for professional growth not only in software development but also in other areas.

This example showed the students that working at an IT company encompasses a much broader range of professions than just software development.

The presentation on DataArt was given by Olga Denisenko, Early Career Programs Manager at DataArt.

In her presentation titled “Market Ready: Starting a Career Without Illusions,” Olga Denisenko focused on the professional start of young professionals and their preparation for entering the job market.

The company representative presented the company's structure to the students, demonstrating the variety of career paths available at a modern IT company and the opportunities for professional growth not only in software development but also in other fields.

A separate segment of the meeting was devoted to the Kharkiv IT Cluster’s initiatives aimed at the professional and educational development of students. Participants were introduced to opportunities such as Open IT, Boot Camp, Youth2Youth, Math Hunt, internships, and other educational and career projects.

In particular, students were invited to join the Math Hunt “Mathematics All Around Us” and participate in a creative video contest.

During the meeting, participants also received practical guidance on launching their careers: developing the necessary skills, gaining hands-on experience, and preparing for internships and their first jobs. The career paths presented by the companies demonstrated the diversity of opportunities in IT-ranging from software development, testing, and artificial intelligence to engineering, electronics, infrastructure, products, and other fields.

A key part of the meeting was the story of Alina Telnova, a participant in the Kharkiv IT Cluster internship program, who shared her own experience of launching her career. Her experience illustrated one possible path from studying and participating in educational initiatives to gaining practical experience in IT.

For students enrolled in the educational programs offered by the Department of Information and Computer Technologies, participation in such events is an important component of their professional training, as it helps establish a direct link between the educational process and practical work in the IT industry and enables them to better navigate current career paths.

For faculty members of the department, communication with representatives of the IT industry provides an opportunity to obtain up-to-date information about the professional environment, industry trends, and employer needs information that can be taken into account when refining the content of educational programs and practical training for students.

We sincerely thank Kharkiv IT Cluster, as well as representatives from It-Jim, U-FORCE, HOSTiQ, and DataArt for a productive meeting, open dialogue, practical case studies, and professional development opportunities for our students!

28.09.2026