[1]OSTCHEM Chemical Holding (consolidating Group DF’s fertilizer business) has become one of the partners in ‘STEM: Professions of the Future’, a pilot European project. The project aims to promote engineering and technical specialties and help Ukrainian high school students to choose their future profession.
STEM is an acronym referring to the educational fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The project is implemented as a part of ‘Deploy Your Talents – Stepping up the STEM Agenda for Europe’ programme, held by CSR Europe (Brussels), a European organization. The project was successfully tested in France and Italy during two years. In 2014, it was launched in Turkey, Greece, Spain and Ukraine.
In 2014-2015 school year OSTCHEM`s experts will give Chemistry lessons in 20 Kyiv schools for over 400 10th grade pupils within the project. Holding`s specialists will tell high school students about career opportunities in chemical industry and conduct excursions to the chemical industry enterprises.
“Today chemical industry is experiencing a considerable shortage of human resources. In particular, our nitrogen facilities require qualified chemical engineers. The majority of seniors have not chosen their future profession yet. On this stage it is really important for us to establish contacts with high school students, arouse their interest and guide them. We plan to keep in touch with talented schoolchildren who will be interested in Chemistry. After the project we will help them to learn the basics of the profession and help in further employment at chemical industry enterprises”, comments Oleksandr Khalin, General Director of OSTCHEM.
Thus, OSTCHEM provides chemical laboratories with modern equipment, supports young chemists on All-Ukrainian and International Olympiads, and allocates scholarship for teachers within the ‘Support of School Chemical Education’ programme. Since 2011 the holding, in cooperation with the Institute of Innovative Technologies and Education Content of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, has been supported participation of the national teams of Ukrainian high school students in chemical Olympiads. In 2013, OSTCHEM holding funded establishment of the specialized Industry Board under the All-Ukrainian Industrial Association of Employer Organizations in Chemical Industry. The Board developed standards for relevant specialties which are in demand in chemical industry. The Industry Board also assesses staffing needs of Ukrainian chemical industry.