How can IT professionals be trained to operate not only in corporate offices, but also in factories, production workshops, and digital control centres? The answer was sought at the Summer School launched by Metinvest Polytechnic, Dnipro Polytechnic, and Metinvest Digital – in collaboration with leading IT companies. Over 100 students from both universities spent two weeks immersed in the world of AI, programming, and digital technologies for real-world manufacturing – through lecture-based training sessions and live dialogue with industry practitioners.
As part of the Summer School “Artificial Intelligence and Programming for Production Information Support”, students of the Computer Science programme from Metinvest Polytechnic and the Information Technology field from Dnipro Polytechnic came together. Lecturers also joined the training, seeking to update their knowledge in line with current demands.
The School was organised through a collaboration between Metinvest Polytechnic and Dnipro Polytechnic, with the support of the public association "Dnipro IT Community" and Metinvest Digital. The training programme for Ukrainian youth includes presentations by leading speakers and practitioners from Sigma Software, Yalantis, SoftServe, DXC Luxoft, EPAM, SANA COMMERCE UKRAINE, and Metinvest Digital. The topics cover everything – from career-building advice in IT and challenges of the modern labour market to API development, the application of DevOps, e-commerce, and industrial solutions based on artificial intelligence.
The final stage was a conference held as an in-person meeting at the Yalantis office in Dnipro, where participants discussed the outcomes of the Summer School, analysed real case studies, and received feedback from companies and lecturers. For many, this will mark the beginning of a practical career – or at the very least, provide a clear understanding of exactly where they wish to work within the IT sector.
Pavlo SAGAYDA, Professor of the Department of Digital Technologies and Project-Analytical Solutions at Metinvest Polytechnic, emphasised that for students the Summer School provided a unique opportunity to acquire concentrated knowledge and skills that are currently in high demand in the labour market, to gain insight behind the scenes of real IT development, to familiarise themselves with actual case studies and understand the logic behind technological decision-making, as well as to establish invaluable contacts that could form the foundation for a future career, joint startups, or simply professional friendships.
Iryna UDOVYK, Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology at National Technical University “Dnipro Polytechnic,” noted that the joint organisation of the Summer School by the two universities, Metinvest Polytechnic and Dnipro Polytechnic, brings the memorandum of their cooperation to life through tangible initiatives. It enables students from various Information Technology specialisations, lecturers, and industry practitioners from different IT companies to come together in a single learning environment to exchange ideas, experiences, and visions, and to prepare for the challenges arising in education and the practical resolution of digitalisation tasks.
Olena PAVLENKO, Director of Metinvest Digital Business Services Centre, emphasised that combining university education in the field of information technology with lecture-based training grounded in the best practices for identifying digitalisation needs in business processes, designing, and implementing effective software solutions – including those utilising artificial intelligence methods – enables the preparation of modern specialists who are competitive in the labour market.
Oksana ZHOVANIK, Senior HRBP at Yalantis, identified that the key approaches to building a successful career as an information technology specialist are a persistent commitment to self-development and the improvement of both hard and soft skills, as well as a thoughtful and balanced assessment of one’s own professional capabilities and the corporate culture of the employing company.
This initiative is part of Metinvest Polytechnic’s broader strategy, which has been developing a new format of education since its inception: in partnership with technology businesses, featuring flexible programmes, a focus on practical experience, and the training of industry professionals capable not only of adapting to change but also of shaping its direction. “This is not just another IT school. It is about how knowledge is transformed into practice, how programming becomes an integral part of industrial processes, and how students become active participants in technological transformation. We are creating an environment where education and business truly collaborate, rather than merely coexist,” comment the academic and teaching team at Metinvest Polytechnic.
