A story of change: from military doctor to electrical fitter
“Even when I was young, I knew I had an aptitude for technology and machinery, particularly car repairs. During my military service, I often drove around the sector on my own and repaired the vehicle when necessary. This training is an opportunity for me not only to retrain, but also to fulfil another dream that I had put off for a long time,”
says Yana, a participant in the Skills for Inclusion project
Yana is 45 years old, comes from Zaporizhzhia and has two sons. A qualified paediatrician, she worked in hospitals in her home city for many years before joining the armed forces in 2021.
“I had always dreamed of serving in the military and had completed military training at university. When I made the conscious decision to join the armed forces in 2021, I did not need any additional preparation. My sons were proud, and they are still proud that their mother served in the military,” she recalls.
Yana served as a doctor at a battalion medical post. After being discharged from military service for health reasons, she began looking for work in medicine but encountered prejudice because of her military background.
“I submitted my CV and even received an offer of employment in another region. I was prepared to relocate, but after the employer learnt about my military experience, I was turned down. It is upsetting when someone with an education and extensive practical experience is not welcomed into a team simply because she is a veteran,” Yana says.
She continued looking for work. During this period, she recalled her long-standing interest in technology. In a veterans’ support chat, Yana saw an announcement about training and retraining opportunities and decided to qualify as an electrical fitter specialising in electrical equipment repair.
Yana during practical training
Yana trained at the Dnipro Vocational Education and Training Centre through the Skills for Inclusion project. She wanted to gain as many practical skills as possible and find work. According to Yana, auto electricians are in demand, and in the future she would like to build a client base and perhaps start her own business.
After completing the training, Yana immediately began looking for work: “Most employers turned me down because I had no professional experience in the field and had only successfully completed the training. Eventually, I found an employer who was interested in my application and offered me a traineeship.”
Yana is now completing a traineeship as an electrical fitter at an auto repair shop in Zaporizhzhia. She hopes to gain more practical experience and determine the next steps in her career.
Background
The project “Skills for inclusion: workplace training for the activation of vulnerable groups” is implemented by the NGO “Ukrainian Professional Development” with financial support from the European Union, Germany, Poland, Estonia and Denmark within the Multi Donor Initiative Skills4Recovery, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Solidarity Fund PL (SFPL).