Ukraine has more than 50,000 software engineers in the information technology industry. Also, according to the Brainbench rating of 2013, the nation ranked third in the number of certified master-level IT specialists among 50 countries.
But it’s not strong everywhere.
The nation suffers a deficit of specialists in high-tech electronic engineering.
According to Oleksandr Chechkov, senior analog design engineer at the Kyiv branch of Melexis, a Belgian producer of microelectronics for the automotive and other industries, Ukrainian universities produce plenty of graduates from high-tech programs. But the problem is that they don’t meet the requirements to land good jobs in a competitive market environment.
Melexis has been on the Ukrainian market since 2000. Throughout this period the company’s staff has grown from just a handful of people to 90 employees, 50 of whom are high-tech engineers. The company’s Ukrainian unit does not produce microchips, but does design and product development here. Still, experienced high-tech engineers are required for the company’s work in Ukraine.
“For high-tech companies in Ukraine, there are two solutions – either look for people who have the proper skills and are ready to work, or teach them all the things they need to know so they can work and become valuable employees,” Chechkov says.
The first solution is a non-starter. “Ukraine doesn’t have such specialists,” Anna Potapova, site manager at Melexis, said.
That’s why since 2007 the company has offered graduates of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to join two of its educational programs: the year-long Digital Lab and two-year Analog Lab. Both were developed and are now taught by Melexis’ employees to give students the practical skills they need to work in a high-tech company.
In return for KPI granting it space to hold its classes, Melexis repaired and upgraded classrooms, and also bought the required furniture, software, servers and equipment needed for the students to carry out practical tasks. The company’s yearly budget for this runs in the tens of thousands of euros, Potapova says. The budget covers all of the educational programs’ costs, such as equipment licenses, teacher salaries and other necessities.
“The company will grow depending on how fast it can draw in new, effective employees. There is no (suitable qualified) analog and digital engineers – that’s why we need to work with students,” Potapova said.
Tests are given for program placement in theoretical knowledge of electronics and programming, with usually third- or fourth-year students earning spots. Most of the students come from the institute’s electronics department. During term time, students take classes in Melexis programs several times a week, held after regular university classes.
Another incentive that the company provides for program placement is a monthly stipend that is higher than the state’s to the students, Potapova said.
The educational program appears to be paying off. In the last year, Melexis Ukraine has hired around 10 new employees, all of whom graduated from the company’s own educational programs.
However, program completion doesn’t guarantee students a job with Melexis.
“To make students strive for better results every time, we don’t guarantee employment on the program’s completion. We want to see bright, motivated individuals in our team, not just money chasers,” Chechkov says.
So some students take jobs with other companies, thus contributing to the overall growth of Ukraine’s high-tech sector.
“In Ukraine we are the only company that provides such educational programs, which also boost the development of the microelectronics industry,” Potapova says.
And there are other ways to foster growth, Potapova said. If the government gave universities the right to share profits by creating intellectual property in joint projects with business, the money could be spent on new university equipment to give students better practical skills.
Another problem is the quality of university teachers. Vitaliy Kukhar, the leader of the digital design team at Melexis, says that talented young people simply don’t want to stay and teach at the university. Most instead seek well-paying jobs in the corporate sector. So Melexis is developing an educational program for them as well.
“This is one of the most complicated industries, where employees really need to know what they’re doing. So, given the opportunity for university teachers to get hands-on experience of working in companies and teaching at the same time, it could be a ‘win-win’ solution for the industry and high-tech education development in the country,” Potapova says.
Kyiv Post staff writer Bozhena Sheremeta can be reached at [email protected]. The Kyiv Post’s IT coverage is sponsored by AVentures Capital, Ciklum, FISON and SoftServe.
