The pilot group included 13 participants – former military personnel, members of ATO and JFO as well as their family members who have the status of unemployed. The training lasted for 3 months (400 hours), the group was formed and directed to IAPE by Lviv Regional Employment Center. The cooperation takes place within the framework of the Ukraine-Norway project, which aims at retraining and social adaptation of the military personnel and their family members in Ukraine, and has lasted in Polytechnic for 5 years.
According to Mariana Zakharchuk, Dean of Postgraduate Studies, graduates of the Information Technologies and the English Language program, which is traditionally held within the framework of Ukraine-Norway, assured that during their study they needed more hours for English.
– English is a programming language, so without it, it is impossible to master IT specialties. The selection for Ukraine-Norway program is based on the level of language proficiency and basic computer knowledge. Students of the English Language for IT course have a higher chance to study under the Information Technology and the English Language program. Therefore, this program will shift the focus from the English language onto IT disciplines, as English has been already taught as a separate course. The previous 4 years program was divided 50:50. For the future IT sphere, it is good to have B1-B2 level, so we are teaching our students to master the average level, says Mariana Zakharchuk.
In fact, the result of cooperation between IAPE and Lviv Regional Employment Center is the preparation of those willing to participate in the Ukraine-Norway project.
The English Language for IT course is free of charge for the participants and is funded by the Government of Ukraine through the Employment Center. In April-May, a new group will be formed. The main requirement for a participant is to be unemployed and to speak English at least a little bit, but Mariana Zakharchuk emphasizes Polytechnic is not trying to refuse those willing to participate.
At the end of the course, the participants passed special tests, the results of which will decide the fate of their participation in the Information Technologies and the English Language program, which starts at the end of February, so now the graduates are waiting for the verdict.
