The kick-off meeting of the ForestPost project under the Erasmus+ program was held in Lviv
On December 9-11, the Ukrainian National Forestry University (Lviv) hosted a kick-off meeting of project partners, associated partners and other participants, dedicated to discussing the goals, objectives and ways to implement the project “Modernizing Master Programs to Support Forest Sector Transformation towards Ukraine’s Post-War Green Rebuilding – ForestPost” (ERASMUS-EDU-2024-CBHE, Grant Agreement No. 101179074), which is implemented under the Erasmus+ program.
The implementation of the ForestPost project involves the phased introduction of innovations into the educational process. “The structure of the project resembles the process of growing a tree - from soil preparation to obtaining a mature forest. Each stage has its own tasks and expected results,” explained the project coordinator – Prof. Dr. Ihor Soloviy.
The project aims to modernize master's programs to support the transformation of the forest sector in the context of the post-war green reconstruction of Ukraine. The ForestPost project will be an important step towards the transformation of the forest sector in Ukraine, as well as laying the foundation for long-term international cooperation and sustainable development of Ukraine. The project envisages the creation of 12 new training courses in three key areas: sustainable forest management, forest technologies and climate change. The next meeting of the project partners is scheduled for spring 2025, where the first results of the analysis of the needs of the industry will be presented and work on updating the training programs will begin.
3 Ukrainian universities and 3 European universities participate in the project:
- Ukrainian National Forestry University (Lviv).
- National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv).
- State Biotechnology University (Kharkiv).
- University of Valladolid (Universidad de Valladolid) (Spain).
- Transylvania University of Brașov (Romania).
- Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (Germany).
The official kick-off meeting was attended by Volodymyr Zagorskyy, Rector of the Ukrainian National Forestry University; Andrii Kudriashov, Acting Rector of the State Biotechnology University; Roman Vasylyshyn, Director of the Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine; José Reque, Academic Secretary of the Higher Technical School of Agrarian Engineering of the University of Valladolid; Lucian Curtu, Dean of Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering of the Transylvania University of Brașov.
Within the framework of the project, it is planned to:
1. Update the content of educational programs in accordance with the needs of the labor market.
2. Strengthen the practical component of training.
3. Introduce elements of dual education.
4. Develop "green" competencies.
An important aspect of the project is the presence of a close cooperation with representatives of the forest industry. The project involves 33 associated partners, including the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, branches of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", private companies, research institutions and public organizations.
Considerable attention during the meeting was paid to the challenges faced by Ukrainian higher education in wartime. Professor Orest Kiyko, Head of the Department of Furniture and Wood Products Technology of the Ukrainian National Forestry Technical University, noted: "Despite this war, despite all these destructive obstacles and barriers, we must think about our future. This means that we must develop a strategy for the reconstruction of Ukraine. And I hope that this strategy will be a green strategy." A report on the impact of the war on forests and forestry in Ukraine, challenges and prospects was presented by Pavlo Kravets, Director of FSC-Ukraine.
Within the second day agenda of the kick-off meeting, a public discussion was held on the topic of “Education for Green Transformation: Advancing Ukraine’s Forest Sector in the Post-War Era”. The discussion focused on such topics as wartime realities, modern educational challenges, new competencies and digitalization, international cooperation and innovation. The speakers of the public discussion were Prof. William Keeton, Dr. Mariana Melnykovych, Viktor Smal, Prof. Norbert Weber. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Ihor Soloviy.
The participants of the discussion agreed on several key points of development:
1. Modernization of education should take place in parallel with the restoration of the industry.
2. International cooperation and exchange of experience are extremely important.
3. Digital transformation and new technologies are a necessary condition for development.
4. Training of specialists should take into account regional characteristics and needs.
At the end of the third day of the kick-off meeting, the participants reached absolute agreement on the need to address the war-related issues. “Our main task now is to survive and preserve the educational staff. This is a great opportunity to think about our future and development within the framework of our project,” emphasized one of the Ukrainian participants.
ForestPost on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569751407665
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forestpost/?viewAsMember=true
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Oleksandr Soshenskyi,
associate professor of the Department of Forestry,
Head of the International Projects Department
