With support from USAID’s Economic Resilience Activity (USAID ERA), Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University (EUNU) signed an agreement with two other USAID ERA partners, the NGO Association of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club and Kernel, a prominent manufacturer and exporter of grain and leader in the global sunflower oil market.
Through this cooperation, students will have access to internships and hands on training at Kernel’s facilities, in tandem with educational courses at EUNU
“We are glad that our university is collaborating with experts from the Kernel Company to explore new opportunities for the development of agriculture, engineering, construction, logistics, computer-integrated technologies, and electronics,” said Olga Porkuyan, EUNU Rector.
“We hope to address the practical training needs of higher education seekers and jointly organize lectures, seminars, and training sessions, as well as engage in scientific, international, and grant-related activities.” Natalia Teriakhina, Head of the HR Department at Kernel Company, explained, “We aim to arrange internships and practical training opportunities for both students and university staff at our company. Additionally, we seek to launch online courses for students to develop essential soft skills, focusing specifically on communication, critical thinking, and responsibility. The combination of our research facilities and the extensive scope of agricultural production will allow students to have high-quality practical training opportunities, along with remuneration.“
EUNU is an internally displaced university that has had to relocate twice from the Luhansk Oblast and is currently operating in Kyiv city. It has been a partner of USAID ERA’s since 2018. USAID ERA is currently establishing three modern laboratories for training future engineers at the university. After resuming operations, EUNU began re-establishing its partnerships with the business sector and is now collaborating with ten Ukrainian companies.