Demand for technical education, particularly oil and gas engineering, is growing in Ukraine. Universities increasingly attract graduates who want to change their specialisation. Ihor Chudyk, Rector of Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, reported this at the United by Mining forum.
According to Chudyk, Ukrainian education has undergone significant changes in the fifth year of the full-scale war. The higher education system is being affected simultaneously by the war, demographic trends and education reform.
Universities are also recording growing interest in postgraduate education and short technical certificate programmes.
“More people have started enrolling in postgraduate education and short certificate programmes, specifically in technical fields. They come with a technical education but mostly retrain in oil and gas engineering. That sector offers salaries, demand for workers and mobilisation deferments. We can see that this is a systemic phenomenon,” Chudyk said.
The rector also reported strong student enrolment this year. He said one contributing factor was the return to Ukraine of some young people who had previously studied in European countries.
“Unfortunately, the policies of neighbouring European countries, where Ukrainians began facing overt pressure, contributed to this. I am referring to ethnic issues in Czechia, Slovakia and especially Poland. There are many conflicts at the student level between ethnic Poles and ethnic Ukrainians,” Chudyk added.
The Ministry of Education and Science previously reported that management, psychology and philology were among the most popular specialisations for Ukrainian applicants in 2026. Demand for computer science and cybersecurity also increased.
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