77 Educators Awarded Micro-Qualification in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy at Karazin University

Karazin University has completed the first cycle of the micro-qualification programme "Entrepreneurship Pedagogy". Seventy-seven participants successfully fulfilled all programme requirements and received certificates awarding them the professional micro-qualification "Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Specialist".

The programme was implemented within the framework of the international project "Integrating Entrepreneurship Education into the Vocational Education and Training System of Ukraine", organised and funded by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV). The project aims to facilitate the systematic integration of entrepreneurship education into vocational training and provide educators with practical tools to foster initiative, creativity, project-based thinking, and the ability to transform ideas into real-world solutions.

The programme was delivered online from April to June 2026 through the university's learning management system. It comprised 4 ECTS credits (120 academic hours) and included ten educational components, covering modern concepts of entrepreneurship education, design thinking, business simulations, project-based learning, facilitation, mentoring, digital tools, pedagogical communication, and the assessment of entrepreneurial competences.

To successfully complete the programme, participants fulfilled three practical assignments covering all educational components and passed a final assessment. One of the key practical outcomes was the development of an original entrepreneurial education project or teaching module that graduates will be able to implement in their professional practice. The awarded micro-qualification is classified as a professional qualification and corresponds to Level 7 of the National Qualifications Framework of Ukraine.

The programme also created a broad interregional professional community. According to registration data, the region of work or study was identified for 67 graduates. Forty participants—almost 60%—represent Kharkiv Oblast, 11 are from the city of Kyiv, 5 from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 3 from Sumy Oblast, and 2 each from Zaporizhzhia and Volyn oblasts. One graduate represents each of Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Odesa, and Poltava oblasts. Overall, the programme brought together participants from at least ten regions of Ukraine.

The participants also represented a diverse professional background: 46 worked at higher education institutions, 15 at vocational education institutions, and 9 represented professional pre-higher education institutions, general secondary schools, arts education institutions, businesses, and other organisations. Such diversity creates favourable conditions for expanding entrepreneurship pedagogy across different levels of education and into the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The programme was implemented by the Department of Marketing and Trade Entrepreneurship of the Educational and Scientific Institute "Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy", with the support of the Centre for Innovative Educational Technologies of the Institute, the Department of Economics and Management of the School of Economics, and the International Relations Office of Karazin University.

The interdisciplinary training team included:

• Maryna Vasylieva — Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Deputy Director of the Education and Scientific Institute "Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy";
• Viktoriia Chobitok — Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Marketing and Trade Entrepreneurship, Education and Scientific Institute "Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy";
• Tetiana Bondarenko — Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Information Computer Technologies and Mathematics, Education and Scientific Institute "Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy";
• Iryna Shteimiller — Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Economics and Management, School of Economics, Head of the International Relations Office;
• Roman Nesterenko — Lecturer at the Department of Economics and Management, School of Economics, Deputy Head of the International Relations Office.

An important element in the development and implementation of the programme was the mentoring support provided by the Department of Vocational Education of the Institute of Educational Sciences at Tallinn University. The Karazin University team received expert guidance from ESTDEV project expert and lecturer at the Department of Vocational Education of Tallinn University, Sirje Rekkor. During consultations, the Ukrainian and Estonian teams collaborated on the programme structure, teaching methodologies, practical learning formats, assessment approaches, and strategies to ensure the programme's long-term sustainability.

The completion of the first programme cycle has established a network of professionals prepared to integrate entrepreneurial approaches into academic courses, training programmes, educational curricula, and extracurricular activities. The competences acquired will enable graduates to support pupils and students in developing business ideas, educational start-ups, and socially beneficial initiatives, while applying design thinking, project-based learning, facilitation, mentoring, and digital tools in their educational practice.

Karazin University expresses its sincere gratitude to the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) for organising and funding the project, to Tallinn University and Sirje Rekkor personally for their professional mentoring and expert support, to the trainers and project team for designing and delivering the programme, and to all graduates for their active participation and successful completion of the training.