From Destruction to Restoration: The Story of a College in Katyuzhanka

After extensive fires and the loss of equipment, the college has reopened its doors to 450 students, who can now acquire practical skills in the renovated facilities — taking a step toward rebuilding their own future and the country.

The village of Katyuzhanka in the Kyiv region has always been a vibrant community. Since 1953, the Katyuzhanka Vocational College has been operating continuously, renowned for training skilled professionals across a range of fields — from agriculture and transport to food technology and service industries. The college has become a hub of opportunities for young people seeking practical knowledge and professional skills.

Under these conditions, continuing education was impossible and unsafe. Only later was the learning process resumed online. However, remote learning can never fully replace in-person education, especially when it comes to practical training. This is particularly important for the college, as it prepares future chefs, tractor operators, drivers, and other tradespeople that the country urgently needs.

Over the years, the Katyuzhanka Vocational College has trained around 25,000 skilled professionals across 15 vocational specialties. They successfully work in key areas of the agro-industrial sector, manage enterprises and educational institutions, and continue their studies at higher education institutions.
 

The destruction caused by the war was extensive. Some of the college’s facilities were restored through the efforts of the local community, while others were repaired with the support of international partners, including UNOPS.

The college was included in the scope of  the “School Repairs in Ukraine” project, implemented by UNOPS with financial support from the European Union. The renovation work focused on several rooms that had suffered the most from the fires.

Now, repair works at the college have been completed, and the facilities are ready for practical lessons in the new academic year. Looking at the photos after the restoration, it is hard to believe that a major fire once occurred here.

On 1 September this year, the college reopened its doors to students. They can now continue their studies in the renovated facilities.

“The restored college provides continuous education, retraining, and skills development for members of the community, which is key to adapting to change and successfully rebuilding the country. This year, we started the academic year with 450 students, and the renovated facilities are already being used to train skilled workers in agriculture, mechanization and transport, food technology, and the service sector,” said Ruslan Nedashkivskyi, the college director.

About the project

The Schools Repairs in Ukraine project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNOPS, aims to repair educational facilities that have been damaged during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This $30 million initiative is being implemented in the regions of Chernihiv, Kyiv, Sumy and Kharkiv, focusing on schools requiring light to medium repair work.

The primary objective of the project is to provide access to repaired school facilities which will increase the proportion of children receiving face-to-face education. By rehabilitating more than 70 schools, the project will help restore facilities to a safe and welcoming environment where students can continue their education without interruption.