The final meeting of the ERASMUS+ WORK4CE project

The international educational project ERASMUS+ KA2 “Cross-domain Competencies for Healthy and Safe Work in the 21st Century (619034-EPP-1-2020-1-UA-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP), which lasted from 2020 to 2024, is coming to an end. Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University was the grantholder of this project with a funding volume of over 960 thousand euros.

On September 19–20, 2024, in Baku (Republic of Azerbaijan), at the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, the final meeting of higher education institutions – participants of the international consortium from Germany (Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts), Belgium (Catholic University of Leuven), University of the Basque Country (Bilbao, Spain), Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan State Customs Committee Academy, Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, Baku) and Ukraine (Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University, National University of Construction and Architecture, Kyiv and Western Ukrainian National University, Ternopil).

Our educational institution was represented at this event by a powerful team, which included: project coordinator, professor of the Department of Software Galyna Tabunshchyk; vice-rector for scientific work Vadym Shalomeyev; vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work and issues of university development prospects Ruslan Kulikovsky; dean of the Faculty of Transport Oleksiy Kuzkin; professor of the Department of Economics and Customs Andriy Karpenko; head of the Department of Digital Technologies in Business and Economics Denys Morozov; associate professor of the Department of Software Anzhelika Parkhomenko.

Within the framework of the project, open educational resources were developed for students of a wide range of specialties in the latest competencies that are necessary for employment and the formation of the workplace of the future. A number of pilot training events for students, training for teachers, and training for representatives of small and medium-sized businesses were held at partner universities.

The project funds financed the creation of a a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory at the Department of Software Tools, modern multimedia equipment was purchased for installation in the university’s classrooms and laboratories (interactive screen, virtual reality glasses, speaker system, video conferencing system), as well as software for the Automated Educational Process Management System of the National University “Zaporizhzhia polytechnic”.

During the final meeting, the consortium participants summarized the project achievements, shared their impressions and conclusions regarding the results obtained during the project implementation, and outlined directions for further cooperation for the near future. Ruslan Kulikovsky, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work and Development Prospects of the University, delivered a welcoming speech to the participants of the meeting. Professor Andriy Karpenko presented the results of the interaction of the National University “Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic” with small and medium-sized businesses within the framework of the project implementation. Presentations on the project results were made by Professor Galyna Tabunshchyk and Dean of the Faculty of Transport Oleksiy Kuzkin.

The consortium participants noted that the project goals and implementation of its main tasks were achieved despite the difficulties caused by martial law in Ukraine as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. The project results will be used within the framework of master’s level educational programs of educational institutions and all interested business people. The positive experience gained in cooperation in open communities of practitioners from different universities in developing joint training modules was noted, which became the main guarantee of the successful implementation of the project.

One of the main results of the project is the establishment of close professional ties between project participants at the level of universities and their administrations, departments and divisions, personal creative ties between teachers and scientists.

Further mutually beneficial cooperation will be aimed at internationalizing the activities of universities, improving the quality of education and bringing its content into line with the modern development of science, technology and engineering.

We express our sincere gratitude to the participating partners project, representatives of the Erasmus+ office in Ukraine, and the member states of the European Union for the opportunity to implement ambitious plans and ideas in the European education space!