Swedish-Ukrainian project to strengthen young people's skills in the textile industry

The project started at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024 and discussions between the participating parties, two universities in Kharkiv and two in Lutsk, have been mostly conducted online. The visitors will now receive an overview of the education and research carried out at the Swedish School of Textiles and a tour of the university’s textile labs.

“We are discussing how to develop exchanges in education and research and we bring ideas to Ukraine. We will, among other things, develop a new educational programme in the textile field," said Olena Iarmosh from the organisation Innovation Generation (NGO), who is also attending the meeting.

She explains that due to the war, it is challenging to conduct education, especially in the eastern parts of Ukraine, where all education is currently only conducted online. In the western regions, however, it is possible to conduct on-campus education so that students can complete practical elements.

Inspiring young people to stay in Ukraine

In addition to empowering young people in Ukraine with knowledge and inspiration, one goal is to make them want to stay and work in Ukraine. Many young people are moving from Ukraine to the west to build a career there, which risks draining the country of competence.

Next year, the project aims to expand collaboration by sending technicians and junior researchers and practitioners from the Ukrainian partner universities to the Swedish School of Textiles.

The university contributes to the development of courses

Tuser Biswas, post-doctoral researcher and project leader, explains the immediate plans.

“We will now survey higher education institutions and the business community in Ukraine to see what training and skills they need. Based on this, we at the Swedish School of Textiles will design a couple of courses focusing on environmentally friendly textiles and recycling of textiles. We will develop the curricula and content, while the Ukrainian universities will conduct the teaching themselves. We will also hold workshops during the project. Next year, we will invite technical staff and practitioners from our partners to learn how to operate the machines in our labs," he continued.

The guests had many questions about the Swedish textile industry and appreciated the tour of the machinery in the university’s textile labs.

The project is funded by the Swedish Institute, SI, and runs until January 2026.

Group photo: 

Oleh Lytvyn, Professor and Head of Department of Food Technology, Light Industry and Design at Educational and Scientific Institute "Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy" of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Tuser Biswas, Project Manager, Mykola Riabchykov, Professor at Lutsk National Technical University, Oksana Tkachuk, Associate Professor at Lutsk National Technical University, Anders Persson, Assistant Head of Department, The Swedish School of Textiles, Olena Iarmosh, Innovation Generation, and Roman Nesterenko, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv.