Digital Tools for Career Guidance of Ukrainians Abroad

Author: Hanna Voronina, Senior researcher

The field of career guidance in Ukraine has undergone significant transformations. 

With approximately 4.2 million Ukrainians currently holding temporary protection status in Europe, integrating working-age Ukrainians into the European labour market has become a significant challenge (Eurostat, 2024). Barriers such as limited local market knowledge, skills gaps, language difficulties, and the psychological toll of displacement complicate this process. Women and young people, who form the majority of displaced Ukrainians, require high-quality career guidance and access to re-education or retraining services to improve their integration prospects. 

Reforms in Career Guidance 
In response to the rapidly evolving field of career guidance, the Association of Career Counsellors of Ukraine was established in 2023. This independent organization aims to optimize the career guidance system, improve service quality, and promote professional development for career counsellors. Its future plans include developing occupational standards for counsellors and fostering international cooperation.  

In recent years, career guidance in Ukraine is supported by new projects aimed at leveraging international expertise and integrating advanced technologies like AI. These efforts have resulted in a range of personalized, data-driven digital tools that enhance career counselling for displaced Ukrainians. 

Key Guidance projects in Ukraine: 

• Diia.Education: A Digital Reskilling Platform Among the most effective platforms is Diia.Education a unique edutainment platform offering free access to career guidance and reskilling opportunities. The platform includes video tutorials, job simulators, webinars, and self-assessment tests. A standout feature is its job simulators, which allow users to experience professions in real-life scenarios. Successful participants receive certificates that can boost employment prospects. Diia.Education is available in both Ukrainian and English, broadening its reach and supporting international job market adaptation. 

• Career Hub Ukraine: Supporting youth employment 

This platform connects young people, employers, government agencies, and educational institutions to enhance youth employment prospects. It offers numerous services, including mentoring and retraining programs, interactive toolkits, and career maps in key industries. Career Hub also provides an officially certified training course for career counsellors, endorsed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science. 

• Choose the Profession of Your Dreams: Offering career lessons for secondary schools 

This project has been implemented in Ukrainian secondary schools since 2021. It offers multimedia career lessons, self-assessment tests, and virtual company visits. The AI-powered diagnostic system suggests professions based on students’ abilities, while the accompanying training course equips counsellors with modern tools and techniques in career planning. 

• The Happy Monday platform: AI-based job matching 

This platform helps users find jobs through AI-based matching tailored to their location, preferred format, and job type. Updated daily with opportunities in over 25 sectors, the platform features Verified Company Profiles from more than 800 national and international employers. It also supports state programs like Reskill UA, offering free professional development and retraining for Ukrainians in fields such as marketing, construction, cybersecurity, and AI. 

• State Employment Service of Ukraine: digital career support.  

The State Employment service provides several digital services, including an e-platform with online career guidance tests, a smartphone application, AI-driven job search tools, and career planning resources. These services help users access personalized support based on regional labour market data. 

Cross-border initiatives for EU-labour market integration  
Cross-border initiatives are crucial for supporting Ukrainian refugees’ integration into European labour markets. Job-matching platforms for Ukrainians in the EU, participation in international career events, and the alignment of the European Qualifications Framework with Ukraine’s National Qualifications Framework are promising steps toward this goal. 

About the Author 
Hanna Voronina, PhD in Education, is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Problems on Education of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine. She is co-author of the National Career Development Support System Review Report (ETF 2022).