OSTCHEM initiates development of professional standards for education of chemical industry specialists

OSTCHEM holding, which consolidates nitrogen fertilizer producers of Group DF, initiated establishment of a specialized Industry Council under the All-Ukrainian Industrial Association of Employer Organizations in Chemical Industry, which is tasked with developing professional standards for education of chemical industry specialists.

 

“This initiative of OSTCHEM was supported by senior managers of the largest chemicals producers in Ukraine, as well as by various scientific and educational institutions. The Industry Council has been set up, and has already held its first meeting”, informed Oleksiy Golubov, Head of All-Ukrainian Industrial Association of Employer Organizations in Chemical Industry, and President of Ukrainian Chemists Union. “We also elected Chairman of this Council, Igor Sergiyenko, who is HR Manager at Cherkassy Azot”, added Mr Golubov.

 

The Council will perform a forensic study of the needs of Ukrainian chemicals producers in human resources, and develop standards for chemical industry-specific educational courses, which are in demand from this industry.

 

“Determining professional standards for chemicals industry specialists will practically mean creating an effective mechanism of consistent interaction between labour market and educational system”, says Oleksandr Khalin, OSTCHEM Director General. “We will advise on the kind of specialists we require, and will help the Ministry of Education to assess the labour market demands. Most importantly, we will help improve the educational system. At present, the chemicals sector is in urgent demand of qualified professionals. That is the main reason why we initiated the establishment of the Industry Council”, added Mr Khalin.

 

“First of all, we intend to determine the so-called ‘professional standard’, i.e. a profile of a specialist understandable to both educational institutions and employers, which are the ones helping the government to determine its request to the educational system for qualified specialists”, – said Rodion Kolyshko,

Director of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility Department at the Federation of Employers of Ukraine in course of the Industrial Council conference. The ‘professional standard’ will be updated on a regular basis, and will form the basis of academic programs”, added Mr Kolyshko.

 

Earlier, the All-Ukrainian Industrial Association of Employer Organizations in Chemical Industry and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine signed an MoU. According to Oleksandr Khalin, the newly formed Industry Council will also make an estimate of projected human resources demands of the chemicals industry for 2014-2017.

 

“We want specialised educational institutions to stop producing specialists in professions which are not needed by the labour market”, explained Mr Khalin. “We want more qualified specialists prepared for the chemical industry, because the industry is in desperate need of these specialists nowadays”.