Cross-disciplinary competencies to improve the employability of graduates from Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University in the global labor market

Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University is the grant holder and coordinator of the international project 619034-EPP-1-2020-1-UA-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP, “Cross-domain competences for healthy and safe work in the 21st century” [WORK4CE].

The main objectives of the project are to develop a new form of cooperation between universities and enterprises in the digital age to improve graduate employment; to provide the latest competencies necessary for employment to shape the workplace of the future; and promoting international and interdisciplinary development of educational content for the Work 4.0 competency model.

The project began on November 15, 2021, and will run for three years as part of a consortium involving European, Ukrainian, and Azerbaijani universities.

The Scrumban methodology was chosen as the project management model, as it allows for iterative delivery of results. Thus, from the moment the grant agreement was signed with the donor (the European Union) until the official launch of the project, the project coordinator, Ph.D., Prof. G.V. Tabunschyk, held working meetings with representatives of Ukrainian and Azerbaijani universities and actively participated in events for representatives of the winning teams of the winning teams of the Erasmus+ KA2: Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Program from member and partner countries of the Program, with project coordinators from the EU Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), representatives of EU Directorates-General, EU Delegations in partner countries, National Erasmus+ Offices, and National Erasmus+ Agencies.

The kick-off meeting of the project consortium representatives was held in the final days of his term by the Rector of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, Dr. S.B. Belykov. The high level of trust placed by the EU and the university’s responsibility as a grant recipient under the Erasmus+ program were emphasized. The project team was greeted by: Oleg Sharov, Director General of the Directorate of Higher Education and Adult Education at the Ministry of Education and Science; Viktor Zakharchuk, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Science at the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration; Svitlana Shitikova, Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, and Parviz Bagirov, NEO Coordinator in Azerbaijan. During the 8-hour online meeting, the university teams presented their educational institutions and the potential that will be utilized to achieve the project’s objectives.

A separate meeting was held between Acting Rector Prof. S.T. Yarymbash and First Vice Rector E.A. Gugnina with representatives of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine. A decision was made to initiate a meeting with the heads of Ukrainian higher education institutions participating in the project to build transparent horizontal ties and foster an understanding of shared responsibility and the responsibility of each partner.

Work was carried out on signing partnership agreements, and international expert groups were formed to develop specifications for the modules “Data Analysis for Industry 4.0” (coordinator: Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University), “Healthcare Management in the Digital Age” (coordinator: FH Dortmund, Germany), “Industry 4.0” (coordinator: KU Leuven, Belgium), “Distributed Teams” (coordinator: Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture), “Work 4.0” (coordinator: Western Ukrainian National University), “Safe Workplaces” (coordinator: Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry), “Digital Change Management” (coordinator: Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction), “Life Cycle Thinking and Sustainable Management” (coordinated by the University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain), “Development of Digital Business Ecosystems” (coordinated by the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction), “Training Module for Trainers and Instructors” (coordinated by the Academy of the State Tax Committee of Azerbaijan).

Since the digital modules to be developed during the project must ensure cross-domain competencies, the working group from Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University consists of representatives from four faculties (Transportation, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Architecture and Construction):

• O.F. Kuzkin – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Transport;
• A.V. Karpenko – Doctor of Economics, Professor of the Department of Economics and Customs;
• T.I. Kaplienko – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Software;
• Parkhomenko A.V. – Ph.D. in Engineering, Associate Professor of the Department of Software Engineering;
• Plinokos D.D. – Ph.D. in Economics, Associate Professor of the Department of Entrepreneurship, Trade, and Exchange Activities, Head of the Center for Internationalization and International Cooperation;
• Subbotin S.O. – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Head of the Department of Software Engineering;
• Tabunschik G.V. – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Software Engineering.

As is well known, one of the main tasks of higher education institutions is to train specialists in accordance with the requirements of the national and regional labor market, which today consists of both domestic and global manufacturers. Therefore, with the support of Vice Rector for Scientific, Pedagogical, and Humanitarian Affairs V.L. Hreshta and the head of the Zaporizhzhia “IAM” cluster, Prof. A.V. Karpenko, meetings were held with the cluster’s leadership and working visits were made to enterprises in the region. Project coordinator Prof. G.V. Tabunschyk presented ideas for cooperation at the TECHNOLOGY and INNOVATION DAY 2021 event, the goal of which is to bring together industrialists from across the region with higher education institutions and local government bodies. Work is currently underway to develop a cooperation strategy and identify the competencies required of university graduates