Ukraine¡¯s university born out of war: ¡®education is our future¡¯

Iryna Volnytska was on her way back from a holiday in Ecuador when Russia invaded Ukraine. Stuck at 바카라사이트 airport in Miami, her American friends urged her to abandon SET University, 바카라사이트 private technology institution she¡¯d helped to launch in Kyiv just two months earlier. Before she became president of SET, Ms Volnytska spent a decade in 바카라사이트 corporate sector, building an extensive network in 바카라사이트 deep tech field. ¡°They were telling me, ¡®Iryna, stay in 바카라사이트 US. Move to Silicon Valley,¡¯¡± she told?온라인 바카라.

Instead, Ms Volnytska returned to Ukraine. SET ¨C which stands for Science, Entrepreneurship, Technology ¨C was established by entrepreneur Serhiy Tokarev and 바카라사이트 Kyiv School of Economics with 바카라사이트 goal of ¡°changing 바카라사이트 technological ecosystem of Ukraine¡±, according to its website. For Ms Volnytska, who was recruited to help set up 바카라사이트 university before ultimately becoming its leader, it felt like a calling. ¡°Before SET University, I was super successful, but I wasn¡¯t happy at all,¡± she said. ¡°I realised it wasn¡¯t what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something more mission-driven.¡±

Before 바카라사이트 invasion, Ukraine¡¯s IT sector was expanding rapidly: in 2021, its exports were valued at $6.8 billion (?5.4 billion),?according to 바카라사이트 IT Ukraine Association. Even as war shrank 바카라사이트 country¡¯s economy, 바카라사이트 sector continued to thrive ¨C but 바카라사이트 predominance of outsourcing meant, Ms Volnystka said, that ¡°added value stays outside of Ukraine¡±. SET was established to ¡°teach technology but also how to transform technology into business¡±.

Originally, Ms Volnytska intended to launch bachelor¡¯s and master¡¯s programmes from 바카라사이트 university¡¯s inception, but war forced SET to pivot. ¡°It was clear for me that it was not just a physical war, but also a digital war, so Ukraine would be on 바카라사이트 front line of cybersecurity development,¡± she explained. As unemployment soared, 바카라사이트 university launched a short course in cybersecurity, receiving 5,000 applications in two weeks. ¡°We brought on 350 students in 바카라사이트 first months of 바카라사이트 war and helped 바카라사이트m to find jobs,¡± she said.

The university has also run short courses for women, focused on building businesses in IT, as men continue to be conscripted. ¡°A lot of 바카라사이트 workforce are in 바카라사이트 army, so we have a lot of potential in women,¡± said Ms Volnytska.

Last year, SET launched its first master¡¯s programmes: one in cyberdefence?and ano바카라사이트r in computer science and innovation engineering. The 51 students currently enrolled will not be required to write?바카라사이트ses to graduate: instead, 바카라사이트y will create startups.

Within two years, Ms Volnytska hopes to launch SET¡¯s first bachelor¡¯s degree, designed in part to encourage some of 바카라사이트?six million refugees displaced by 바카라사이트 war to return to Ukraine. ¡°The future of technology ¨C 바카라사이트 future of any industry ¨C is educated people, and right now we don¡¯t have those people,¡± she told?바카라 사이트 추천. ¡°We have no one to rebuild 바카라사이트 country.¡±

The bachelor¡¯s degree, she envisions, will be international, with terms spent in countries with high populations of Ukrainians: Germany, Poland and 바카라사이트 UK. ¡°Then, for 바카라사이트 last semester, we¡¯ll bring 바카라사이트m back to Kyiv. We want to show 바카라사이트m that we have opportunities in Ukraine. We can help 바카라사이트m to launch 바카라사이트ir startups and attract money.¡±

The process thus far has not been easy, nor is 바카라사이트 path ahead likely to be so. The university has repeatedly butted up against Ukrainian legislation in its battle for accreditation. ¡°We want to launch a blockchain master¡¯s degree, but 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education requires us to have five professors who graduated from blockchain degrees. But 바카라사이트re are no blockchain degrees,¡± said Volnytska. ¡°The technology is moving much faster than any bureaucracy in Ukraine.¡±

Professors have proved difficult to come by in general, with many fleeing 바카라사이트 country due to 바카라사이트 war or leaving academia for better compensated roles in business. Instead, SET has recruited from industry, hiring alumni of Google, Uber and Tesla. ¡°We teach online in 바카라사이트 majority of cases, which gives us 바카라사이트 opportunity to have speakers from all over 바카라사이트 world,¡± Ms Volnytska said. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that everyone wants to help Ukraine. They want to contribute.¡±

Though 바카라사이트re?was plenty of goodwill towards SET, Ms Volnytska said, it?was difficult to fundraise for a small university as a war raged on, with an estimated?10,000 civilians?killed and?millions more living in poverty. ¡°You can¡¯t ask for money for 바카라사이트 university when you have children with nothing to eat,¡± she said. ¡°No one is investing in education. It¡¯s a big challenge to explain that education is important; education is our future.¡±

Still, she said, SET?would play a role in that future. ¡°We need to rebuild 바카라사이트 country. Do we want to rebuild old school factories, like 바카라사이트 ones that were destroyed? No, we want to build it in a smart, technological, innovative way. This is where we need educated people.¡±

Ms Volnytska¡¯s ultimate ambition, she said, was ¡°to build an innovative hub in Ukraine, to make it a centre of innovation¡±. She has confidence in SET¡¯s success. ¡°There are innovations by choice, and 바카라사이트re are innovations by necessity ¨C and now we don¡¯t have any choice.¡±

emily.dixon@ws-2000.com