On 5 August, the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine presented a Roadmap for Skilled Workforce Provision in Ukraine’s Construction Sector 2026–2030, proposing a comprehensive set of measures to address an acute shortage of skilled workers and establish a sustainable training system aligned with the sector’s needs. The document, developed under the EU-funded Bridging Skills for Construction project, was unveiled at an official event marking Construction Workers’ Day. It estimates that only around half of the required number of skilled workers is currently available, a gap that threatens to slow Ukraine’s reconstruction of housing, social facilities, and transport and engineering infrastructure.
The Roadmap was prepared under the Bridging Skills for Construction project, implemented with financial support from the European Union, Germany, Poland, Estonia and Denmark as part of the Multi Donor Initiative Skills4Recovery, and executed by GIZ and Solidarity Fund PL. The document was authored by Olha Sydorchuk, Head of the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine, and Ivan Fedorin, Construction Adviser at Altelaw&Sempra, with analytical support from Tetiana Sytnyk. It draws on a sectoral study that surveyed 200 construction companies and conducted 20 in-depth interviews with businesses, material manufacturers, associations, trade unions, vocational education institutions and public authorities. The findings were discussed with the Ministry of Economy and Environment, the State Employment Service, the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Qualifications Agency.
At the presentation, Jens Busma, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, said the Roadmap provides a basis for systematic cooperation between government, businesses, education and training providers, and international partners, and could open new opportunities for German-Ukrainian economic cooperation. Henrik Huitfeldt, Head of Section for Public Finance, Business Support, and Social Policies at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, stressed that as Ukraine advances towards EU accession, continued alignment of vocational education and training, qualifications, and skills recognition with EU standards will become increasingly important, including strengthening systems for the recognition of qualifications and supporting labour mobility within the European labour market.
The Roadmap proposes a range of practical actions, including modernising training vouchers and establishing a transparent government-business co-financing mechanism for a regularly updated list of priority occupations; adapting training to project-based work, subcontracting, self-employment and mobile teams; introducing financial incentives for employers that invest in workforce training and mentoring; establishing a representative Sectoral Skills Council; developing a digital professional ID card for construction workers; using infrastructure projects financed by development banks as platforms for training; and strengthening the sector’s capacity to train, assess and certify workers through updated occupational standards and employer-led assessment mechanisms. Particular attention is given to short-term and modular programmes, training directly at enterprises, paid work placements, mentor training, and recognition of prior learning, with the aim of helping veterans, internally displaced people, women and self-employed workers enter or return to construction occupations more quickly.
The Roadmap covers the period to 2030 and envisages a phased transition from developing solutions and piloting new models to institutionalisation, scaling and sustainable financing. Its implementation will require joint decisions and resources from government, the construction sector, education and training providers and development partners. The next steps are to agree priorities, determine responsible parties and resources, and begin phased implementation.
The initiative reflects a broader EU effort to support Ukraine’s recovery and EU integration, with the construction sector seen as a key driver of economic growth. The Roadmap’s emphasis on aligning qualifications with EU standards and supporting labour mobility is expected to facilitate the integration of Ukrainian workers into the European labour market, while also addressing immediate reconstruction needs. However, the success of the plan will depend on sustained political will and financial commitment from both Ukrainian authorities and international partners, as well as the ability of the construction industry to adapt to new training models and standards.