The technical university "Metinvest Polytechnic" and the educational project "Community Recovery School," in partnership with the NGO "Mariupol. Reborn," have signed a memorandum of cooperation. This initiative aims to train specialists who will work on rebuilding Ukrainian communities, managing projects, and supporting people affected by the war.
As an educational partner, Metinvest Polytechnic is already developing and implementing training modules for 25 teams from various regions of Ukraine. The program covers key aspects of post-war recovery, including data analysis, project management, grant application preparation, and working with war-affected populations. Thanks to modern methodologies, participants gain not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills necessary for implementing recovery projects in their communities.
"The Mariupol municipality team launched the Community Recovery School as a strategically important project, giving Ukrainian managers the opportunity to gain unique knowledge from leading foreign and international lecturers. We are happy to scale up – Metinvest Polytechnic is a valuable educational partner, thanks to which we can expand our capacity to prepare recovery teams for war-affected communities. Ukraine urgently needs qualified, motivated, and engaged managers who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work hard to build economically strong and livable communities," said Vadym BOICHENKO, Mayor of Mariupol.
The training combines online lectures, offline meetings, forums, workshops, and study tours. Special attention is given to the exchange of experiences between communities and the implementation of best global practices in sustainable development. The final stage will involve each team developing a "Community Recovery Profile" – a roadmap for restoring infrastructure, the economy, and social life. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive certificates, and the best-performing teams will have the opportunity to continue their studies at leading Ukrainian universities.
Oleksandr Povazhnyi, Rector of Metinvest Polytechnic, noted that the university is already actively engaged in training specialists capable of rebuilding communities after the war, using modern knowledge and techniques.
"We already have experience in developing educational programs for recovery. In particular, our master’s students have been studying the 'Metallurgy Modernization Management' program for the second year, which will be in demand during Ukraine’s recovery. Integrating academic education with real-world challenges enables us to prepare competent managers capable of making effective decisions and implementing innovative recovery approaches. The partnership with the Community Recovery School and the NGO 'Mariupol. Reborn' is another step toward developing practice-oriented education that has a direct impact on the country’s future," stated Oleksandr POVAZHNYI.
This large-scale project is being implemented in partnership with Metinvest Group and Ukraine’s largest investment group, SCM. Nataliya YEMCHENKO, Director of Communications at SCM and a member of the Supervisory Board of "Mariupol. Reborn," emphasized:
"In business, there are several effective approaches to finding the best employees. You can headhunt valuable specialists who have already made a name for themselves, or you can create an entire system of valuable professionals. To do this, you need to invest in education, training, and retraining. This approach is universal and we apply it at the Community Recovery School: to become the best, you need to train the best and learn from the best. That’s why Metinvest Polytechnic joined our project. This is a unique experience in building a new type of education, which is exactly what we need to prepare qualified recovery managers."
The Community Recovery School provides an opportunity to gain up-to-date knowledge, practical action algorithms, and support from an expert environment. It is also a step toward forming a new generation of leaders capable of ensuring sustainable development and prosperity for their communities and Ukraine as a whole.
The Community Recovery School, founded by the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the NGO "Mariupol. Reborn," focuses on preparing municipal managers for the recovery period. The project is supported by the UK Government under the UK International Development program and the International Republican Institute (IRI Ukraine) in partnership with Metinvest and SCM. The educational partners of the project are Metinvest Polytechnic and the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
