The Focus Groups of the Project "Roadmap for Career Development of Women Leaders in Higher Education in Ukraine" took place

A representative of the Education and Research Institute "Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogics Academy," Professor Maryna Vasylieva, and Deputy Head of the International Relations Department Roman Nesterenko participated in implementing one of the stages of the project "Roadmap for Career Development of Women Leaders in Higher Education in Ukraine."

The project received financial support within the framework of the Going Global Partnerships initiative by the British Council, following the 2024 selection process.

The project is implemented by the University of Bedfordshire (Luton, United Kingdom), Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics, the Education and Research Institute "Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogics Academy" of Karazin Kharkiv National University, and the public organization "Innovative Generation."

During this stage, seven focus groups were conducted in Kharkiv, Lviv, Kyiv, and among Ukrainian women educators in Europe.

In the focus groups, a facilitation methodology in a game format was employed to stimulate creative thinking and address a wide range of tasks. Using vibrant LEGO® sets, participants built models, reflected on, and explored the main obstacles, opportunities, and prospects for women's career growth in universities.

The results of the focus groups will be processed and utilized to develop the roadmap for women's career development in higher education.

All participants (representatives of various higher education institutions from different Ukrainian cities) demonstrated active involvement, creativity, and high motivation. The team from the British Council in Ukraine participated in the Kyiv focus groups and shared positive impressions of the organized work with the participants.

The facilitation methodology LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, adapted for the focus groups' objectives by Professor Alexandros Kofinas, Head of the Department of Strategic Management and Leadership, and Dr. Christina Schwabenland, Director of the Center for Leadership Innovation, at the University of Bedfordshire Business School, was actively used during the sessions by facilitators Marina Vasylyeva and Roman Nesterenko.

All collected materials underwent digital and linguistic processing and were sent to British colleagues.

We eagerly await the project results from the British participants!