24 10 2025

2nd Polish-Ukrainian Career Guidance Forum

The 2nd Polish-Ukrainian Career Guidance Forum has come to an end. This year, the event took place in Bielsko-Biała. It was a unique gathering that brought together career counselors, teachers, experts, and representatives of educational institutions from Poland and Ukraine, creating a space for sharing experiences, inspiration, and joint planning for the future of career guidance.

The first edition of the Forum took place in 2023 – at a time when career guidance was just being introduced into the curricula of Ukrainian primary schools. This year’s edition was a natural continuation of those efforts, linked to the development by SFPL experts of a professional standard for the teaching specialization “school career counselor.”

Objectives and significance of the Forum

The aim of the event – in addition to discussing the new professional standard – was to provide methodological support for 15 counselors from Ukrainian vocational schools implementing SFPL grant projects, as well as for other career counselors. The Forum also enabled a direct exchange of experiences between counselors from Poland and Ukraine – both in terms of practical activities and systemic solutions supporting the development of vocational education.

The Forum was attended not only by practitioners from both countries but also by representatives and experts from:

  • the European Training Foundation (ETF),

  • the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,

  • the National Qualifications Agency of Ukraine (NQA),

  • and the Solidarity Fund PL (SFPL).

The meeting in Bielsko-Biała marked another important step in developing the career guidance system in Ukraine – one based on experience, cooperation, and solidarity between Poland and Ukraine.

The Forum in the context of the Skills4Recovery programme

The programme supports the modernization of vocational education in Ukraine by strengthening the skills of young people and adults. In 2025–2026, 25 grant projects will be implemented, benefiting around 3,000 people. These projects include updating curricula, organizing internships, training teachers and counselors, purchasing equipment, and providing individual counseling.

The initiative’s budget exceeds EUR 1.6 million, and its activities also support reforms in Ukraine’s career guidance and vocational education systems.

Together for the future of vocational education

Thanks to the Forum in Bielsko-Biała and international cooperation, Ukrainian career counselors gained new tools, inspiration, and practical methods for working with students, which they will apply in their schools.

This event was not only an exchange of knowledge but also a real step toward the sustainable development of Ukraine’s career guidance system – strengthened by European experience and the solidarity of Polish partners.

Special thanks go to the career counselors from Bielsko-Biała and Rybnik for sharing their practical experience and expertise.

The Skills4Recovery Multilateral Initiative is funded by the European Union, Germany, Poland, Estonia, and Denmark, and is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Solidarity Fund PL (SFPL).

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The project is co-financed under the Polish development cooperation programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland