For the first time, the Skills Lab: A Successful Career training program was launched for local young people. Within one month, more than 30 girls and boys will acquire practical skills that will help them find their first job in the future. The program is being implemented by the CSR Ukraine, CSR Development Center expert organization and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. The partners of the program are the Executive Committee of the Kryvyi Rih City Council and the Youth Executive Committee of Kryvyi Rih.

According to the Kryvyi Rih City Employment Center, the lack of professional knowledge and skills is the main cause for the low rate of youth employment. As of 2018, more than 3,000 unemployed were registered with the employment service, a third of which were young people under the age of 35. The purpose of the program is to help young people develop their professional competencies and find decent work in their city or region.

Taras Derkach, Career Hub Coordinator within the Center for Corporate Social Responsibility Development, believes that the program will not only contribute to better efficiency and employment of the youth, but also help reduce the level of labor migration: “Every sixth young person in Ukraine is ready to go abroad in search of a better future. We believe that young people should build the future in their hometown, right here, right now. For this purpose, we have invited the best lecturers, updated the program, prepared creative exercises and challenges to be done after each lesson. This is all to prepare young people for building a career in Ukraine".

This year, the Skills Lab: A Successful Career program is being implemented in Mykolayv, Cherkasy and Kryvyi Rih. Participants will have 6 interactive trainings to improve the skills of the future. In particular, young people will be taught effective planning, critical thinking, time management, negotiating, creativity, and project management. For the first time, an online video course of lectures on successful career by representatives of leading companies such as Metinvest, Ukrtelecom, Watsons, lifecell, Ukrenergo, Apercon, UKRSIBBANK, Raiffeisen Bank Aval has been integrated into the curriculum. In addition, girls and boys will learn with the help of specialists how to create and improve their resumes.

According to Vitalii Klymenko, a specialist in the employment department of Metinvest, it is the lack of a structured resume that influences the choice of a candidate: "Very often, students applying for a job do not know how to write their resumes. We have to screen out such candidates immediately".

Tetiana Stopkan, a program participant, came to Skills Lab: A Successful Career to create a resume that would definitely interest the employer. "My goal within the program is to do everything in order to find and get a job. I am motivated to make progress, receive new information, make new acquaintances and use the acquired knowledge and skills in the future to develop my own career."

During the final session of the Program, participants will meet with HRs of local companies, submit their resumes and will be able to receive the coveted job offer.