How we make vocational schools popular: Big City Lab team took part in the Career Festival at VDNH

Today, vocational education is not popular in Ukraine. The need for specialists in skilled trades is high, but the prestige of such professions is still low. Vocational education institutions are often perceived as a “second option” rather than an opportunity for a stable, decent and in-demand career.

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During the panel discussion “How we make vocational schools popular and what architectural solutions have to do with it” at the Career Festival at VDNH, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors in four days, we discussed how to change this narrative through the space.

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The discussion was joined by Dmytro Zavhorodnyi, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation; Maryna Melnyk, architect of Big City Lab; and Yulia Yepifanova, project director of “EdUP”.

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During the discussion, we talked a lot about the challenges faced by vocational schools. And at the same time, about the opportunities offered by a competent spatial solution: to make educational spaces comfortable, modern, and respectful of their users.

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Maryna Melnyk spoke about the development of the guide “New Vocational School. Handbook on repair works in vocational education institutions”, created by Big City Lab in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science and the “EdUP” project. This guide is not just a list of technical recommendations, but an attempt to show how the environment can influence the choice of profession and change attitudes towards it. You can learn more about the guide and download it here.

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We are convinced that space is not a background, but an active participant in the educational process. And it should be designed accordingly.

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