果冻APP hosted a Local Event on Education 鈥 an educational discussion event aimed at solving students鈥 problems. The event was organized by the international student organization BEST Lviv, which for many years has been creating platforms for cooperation between youth, universities, and companies. After an almost ten-year break, this year the team resumed the format it used in 2016鈥2017.
During the opening, the participants honoured the Ukrainian defenders with a minute of silence and joined a charity collection for the 3rd Assault Brigade. The organizers emphasized: the opportunity to hold educational events today is a merit of those who defend the country.
The main idea of the event is that in the format of teamwork and discussions, participants will look for practical solutions that will help to better prepare students for the demands of the modern labour market, strengthen the development of professional and soft skills, and establish more effective cooperation between the university and business.
The theme of this year鈥檚 event is 芦How can universities more effectively prepare students for work?禄 Participants were divided into five teams of seven people: four students, two company representatives, and one university teacher. In total, 35 people took part in the event. Students were selected through open registration and interviews. The organizers were looking not only for active participants, but for motivated individuals ready to propose practical solutions and take responsibility for driving change.
鈥 When we created this format, we were inspired by colleagues from abroad. In particular, we have such centers in Tallinn (Estonia) and Krakow. Specifically, our format is a certain mixture of the Krakow and Tallinn approaches.
The first day is held in a Knowledge Caf茅 format: participants sit at round tables and discuss a specific issue related to education and our university. After 40 minutes, they rotate to other tables to explore the next topic. Each table has a facilitator who guides the discussion and records key ideas. At the same time, teams prepare a presentation that they will later pitch. The pitching session lasts 10 minutes: 5 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions.
The second day is even more significant 鈥 we call it Final Review Day. On this day, participants vote for the best solutions, and the selected ideas are presented to the Polytechnic鈥檚 leadership, including Rector Nataliia Shakhovska, as well as Vice-Rectors Mykola Lohoida, Iryna Khomyshyn, and others. They were actively involved in the creation of this event, as we maintained close communication with them throughout the process.
There will also be a panel discussion, during which we will explore another micro-topic. This will allow for an additional brainstorming session, further development of ideas, and consideration of their implementation. However, the main focus remains the Knowledge Caf茅 which takes place on the first day, said the event鈥檚 main organizer, third-year Cybersecurity student Dmytro Martyniuk.
Expected outcomes of the event include the potential introduction of courses aimed at developing soft skills, strengthening the practical components of training, fostering innovation, and enhancing collaboration with industry partners.
