Over four days of the Career Festival at VDNG, more than 5,000 Kyiv residents and city guests visited the HUMAN CAPITAL zone — a platform created by the Kateryna Osadcha Foundation, designed especially for teenagers and young people.

The initiative’s goal was to help Ukrainian youth discover their calling and to create a space for interaction between employers and future professionals. Visitors could take a “superpower” test, try out different professions, and understand what truly inspires them.

The most popular “superpowers” chosen by participants were: helping others, problem-solving, art and creativity, technical skills, and analytical thinking.

VR activities attracted particular interest — guests could see firsthand how the energy sector operates and test innovative equipment for the agricultural professions of the future.

Career consultants helped teenagers identify the areas where they could apply their strengths and develop their potential. The Foundation also recorded 10 podcasts with representatives from government, business, and education. Among the podcast guests were:

• Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine

• Ruslan Shostak, founder of the EVA retail chain

• Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia

• Artur Mikhno, CEO and co-founder of the job search website Work.ua

• Zhan Beleniuk, Olympic champion

• Yevhen Mushkin, Director of the Career Festival

They shared their personal career journeys, advice for young people, and practical tips on how to build a career in Ukraine.

A key event at the location was a panel discussion on why career guidance for teenagers is crucial for Ukraine’s successful reconstruction and economic growth. The speakers included:

• Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine

• Dmytro Zavhorodnii, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine

• Liubov Ukrainets, HR Director of the Silpo retail chain

• Bohdan Zelenskyi, Deputy General Director of Agrosem

• Valentyna Poltorak, project manager at DECIDE

• Kateryna Osadcha, founder of the Kateryna Osadcha Foundation

The main takeaway of the discussion: Ukraine is a country of opportunities, and young people should stay, build their careers here, and become the driving force of change. To make this possible, business, government, and the public sector must unite their efforts — helping young people better understand the labor market, develop their skills, and explore different professions.

Read the article on 1+1.