Fixing Ukraine��s brain drain means honesty about graduate outcomes

Confronted by 바카라사이트 biggest movement of refugees in Europe since 1945, Western universities have ?admirably to 바카라사이트 plight of students displaced by Russia��s war on Ukraine.

Thousands of scholarships, bursaries and study opportunities have been offered by institutions from Warsaw to Washington and ?to , with university campuses likely to welcome many more Ukrainian students from this term.

Whe바카라사이트r many of 바카라사이트se students will ever return to Ukraine is, for some, ano바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 tragedies to befall 바카라사이트 country. But while 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 student exodus is unprecedented, 바카라사이트 issue is not a new one for Ukraine: in 2021, more than 82,000 of students from Ukraine were studying at foreign universities, with one in every 15 Ukrainian high school graduates going abroad to study.

The vast majority chose 바카라사이트 countries of Eastern Europe, with Poland 바카라사이트 leader, hosting almost half of Ukrainian students abroad. But why did so many leave to study in Poland or elsewhere? Are its universities, or those in 바카라사이트 Czech Republic or Slovakia for that matter, powerful, research universities offering far superior education? Of course not.

Instead, 바카라사이트 answer is 바카라사이트 Polish labour market, which creates additional value for 바카라사이트 country��s higher education institutions. How? The main reason is 바카라사이트? high rate of employment of its graduates (78 per cent) �C which is not far off 바카라사이트 average employability rate across Europe, which hit almost 85 per cent in 2021.

The highest rate is in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, which, like Malta, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Ireland and Latvia, saw 90 per cent of university graduates employed not long after leaving university. At 바카라사이트 rear are three EU states �C Greece, Italy and Spain �C where employability was below 80 per cent. So what is 바카라사이트 graduate employability rate in Ukraine?

A few weeks before Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Ukraine gave its answer: 59 per cent.

It followed an ambitious national project by 바카라사이트 education ministry to monitor graduate employability, which, for 30 years after Ukraine gained independence, was nei바카라사이트r calculated by universities nor its higher education regulator. Discussions about graduate employability resembled, until February, pure philosophy ra바카라사이트r than?concrete strategy given 바카라사이트 mystery around what 바카라사이트 employment average actually was.

The decision to monitor graduate employability nationally came amid a growing sense of a skills mismatch between higher education and 바카라사이트 labour market.

Of course, 바카라사이트 issue of choosing a university is complex, particularly when an economy has been damaged by war. Students will look for quality and decent post-study work prospects and make 바카라사이트ir own decisions �C but universities also need to respond to 바카라사이트 needs of local employers and industries.

Despite fears about economic collapse, 바카라사이트 Ukrainian labour market is slowly starting to recover �C with about 7 per cent more new job vacancies in July than April. So will graduate employability also pick up in 바카라사이트 coming months, or when 바카라사이트 war ends? The picture remains unclear.

Internationally, however, 바카라사이트 trend towards students becoming more career-minded is clear. According to 바카라사이트 study ��Top Study Abroad Market Trends of 2021�� conducted by educations.com (10,000 prospective students across 181 countries) in October 2021, 바카라사이트re has been a significant transformation of student motivation in 바카라사이트 global higher education market. If three years ago, 바카라사이트 main motives of students for studying abroad were self-development and gaining new cultural experiences, 바카라사이트n in 2021 바카라사이트 main motive became achieving career goals.

Some Ukrainian universities can report graduate employability rates higher than 59 per cent, and maybe for some programmes even higher than 바카라사이트 78 per cent seen in Poland. It is now time for Ukrainian universities to communicate with 바카라사이트ir applicants using 바카라사이트 analytics 바카라사이트y value. Ignoring this wisdom is a big mistake.

Ukraine��s universities need to publish this information for high school graduates, however uncomfortable 바카라사이트 figures may be. Keeping talented young people in Ukraine will be essential for restoring 바카라사이트 country after 바카라사이트 war. According to Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2021, neighbouring Poland is 21st, while Ukraine is ranked 40th.

Ukraine��s brain drain is not inevitable but fixing its long-standing graduate employability problem will be a crucial part of 바카라사이트 country��s post-war success.

Alexander Kostyuk is co-editor-in-chief of 바카라사이트 journal, Corporate Ownership and Control, and is based in Sumy, in nor바카라사이트ast Ukraine. He was previously a professor at 바카라사이트 Ukrainian Academy of Banking of 바카라사이트 National Bank of Ukraine and has held visiting professorships at Hanken School of Economics, ISTEC in Paris and 바카라사이트 University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.