Ukraine: A second chance behind the wheel – vocational training helps address labour shortages in Mykolaiv

To help fill this gap, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) launched a vocational training programme in 2025, made possible with funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The initiative offers local residents a chance to train or retrain as tractor operators—reviving skills, expanding employment opportunities, and supporting the region’s recovery.

Back to the land

On a hot summer day in Marynivka, students gather in a dusty field beside a row of tractors. The machines hum as the trainees take turns driving, adjusting controls, and learning to manage basic repairs. One of them is Vasyl, who had first dreamed of becoming a tractor driver back in 2007.

That path was interrupted by military service. But nearly two decades later, with the help of a DRC grant, Vasyl was able to return to the local agricultural lyceum and enrol in a training course.

“Getting back into the seat after all this time felt right,” he says. “It’s hard work, but this is what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Vasyl is not alone in seeing this training as a way to reclaim a long-held ambition. Nearby, Eugeniy leans casually against the tractor’s bonnet, wiping the sweat from his brow with a smile.

“For me, this machine is more than just metal and gears,” he says. “Here, I’m not only learning to drive — I’m learning how the tractor works, how to keep it running, and how to fix it when something goes wrong. Out in the field, that knowledge can make all the difference. This work is badly needed now, and I’m not planning to stop anytime soon.”

The lyceum combines classroom sessions with hands-on practice. Students work with real equipment and under real conditions, preparing them for employment in a sector where practical experience matters as much as theory. In 2025 alone, 60 people in Mykolaiv Oblast completed the training.