Iryna Ishchenko: technical skills for housing recovery
“Today’s circumstances are changing women’s role in the labour market. While many men are defending the country, women can become skilled professionals in the trades and contribute to Ukraine’s recovery. Thanks to the project, I now know how I can help people rebuild damaged homes,”
says Iryna Ishchenko, an interior designer and participant of the Training for Change project under Skills4Recovery
Iryna is originally from Sumy Oblast. After graduating from university, she worked in customs logistics for four years before feeling the need for greater professional fulfilment. She successfully completed a one-year course at the European School of Design and began taking on private interior design commissions. However, she soon realised that she lacked technical knowledge.
“Building and fitting out homes is a major responsibility. I want to speak to installers as an equal, make independent design decisions involving different types of internal partitions, and know and understand every aspect of installing plasterboard structures. So, when my husband suggested that we join the Training for Change project together, I agreed immediately,” Iryna says.
At the Kyiv Professional College of Construction and Municipal Utilities, Iryna trained as an installer of building insulation systems and plasterboard structures. She was the only woman in her training group, but this only motivated her further.
Iryna during practical training
Iryna is already applying the knowledge gained during the training to housing projects in Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin. These include homes where renovation work stopped after February 2022, as well as houses and flats damaged by hostilities.
The training has helped her better understand how plasterboard structures are installed, plan their placement more accurately and discuss technical solutions with tradespeople more confidently.
“Construction and interior design are important for the country. Since the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have begun to see their homes differently. A home is no longer simply a functional space. It is a place of strength. It is a place where everything is for you and about you,” Iryna says.
Background
The Training for Change project 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).