The furniture industry is changing faster than ever: production automation, new equipment, innovative materials, digital design, sustainability requirements, and growing global competition are reshaping the market. That is why strategic partnership between education and business is no longer optional — it is critically necessary.
The Lviv Furniture Cluster held a strategic meeting bringing together directors and representatives of vocational education institutions, business owners from the Cluster, and representatives of the Department of Education and Science of the Lviv Regional Military Administration.
The need for such synergy is particularly acute in skilled trades, especially in the woodworking sector. For several years, the market has faced a labor shortage: companies lack carpenters, machine operators, technologists, and production supervisors. At the same time, the popularity of woodworking professions among young people is declining — applicants more often choose IT and other “trendy” fields, rarely considering manufacturing careers as перспективні. As a result, a gap is forming between real business demand and the number of trained specialists. Active company involvement in career guidance, program modernization, and building a modern image of the professions can reverse this trend and restore interest in the industry.
“If you, the businesses of the Lviv region, have ideas on how to develop, unite, and synchronize education and entrepreneurship, the Department of Education will always provide support so that the furniture industry can regain its capacity,” noted Oleh Paska, Director of the Department of Education and Science. “Children’s perceptions of the furniture industry are not entirely accurate, and this also needs to be rethought. Career guidance is a crucial element that should begin at the school desk.”
Another important focus of the meeting was the interpretation and discussion of the new Law of Ukraine “On Vocational Education,” which entered into force on August 21, 2025. The document effectively restarts the skilled workforce training system.
What does this mean for business, and what changes for vocational institutions?
Vocational education is receiving a modern structure and new management approaches. Institutions gain greater financial autonomy, can independently form their staff, and develop partnerships with businesses. Employers are officially involved in governance through supervisory boards and can influence educational programs. This means workforce training is no longer detached from real production needs.
Grant support for dual education is being introduced, allowing students to combine studies with practical training at enterprises. A student employment contract is introduced as a legal mechanism to combine work and study. Graduates will undergo independent qualification assessment, increasing trust in diplomas and overall training quality.
For furniture manufacturers, this creates a real opportunity to build their own talent pipeline, influence the quality of specialist training, and reduce the gap between education and production.
Vocational education must become a strategic partner of business.
“The Furniture Cluster proves that woodworking professions are in demand, yet they lack a strong image among young people. Through joint efforts of authorities, educational institutions, and business, we must change this and promote manufacturing careers,” emphasized Ivan Pykus, Head of the Department of Innovation and Vocational, Professional Pre-Higher and Higher Education of the Department of Education and Science.
In the context of synergy between education and the furniture industry, the new Law of Ukraine “On Vocational Education” establishes a different logic of cooperation between institutions and enterprises. It fundamentally changes the approach to workforce training, focusing the system on real production needs rather than formal compliance with curricula.
First of all, the traditional model of “industrial practice” is becoming outdated. Previously, internships were often short-term and formal, not fully integrated into real production processes. Now the emphasis shifts to full student integration into enterprise operations as team members, with clearly defined tasks, mentorship, and responsibility. It is no longer about episodic exposure to a profession but about systematic training within real production environments.
A key innovation is the introduction of student employment contracts. The Law creates a legal mechanism that allows official employment during studies. Cooperation between enterprise and student is no longer in a “gray zone” but becomes part of formal labor relations with defined rights and obligations. For business, this reduces legal risks; for students, it guarantees social protection and transparent working conditions.
The core implementation tool is dual education. In practice, up to 70% of study time can be spent directly at an enterprise, with about 30% dedicated to theoretical training at an educational institution. This model enables synchronization of educational programs with company technological processes, quick adaptation of content to production changes, and preparation of specialists who require minimal adaptation after graduation.
“I look at these changes with optimism and am confident that with the new Law on dual education we will only gain advantages,” said Andrii Mandzhala, founder of ADS Group Ukraine LLC and member of the Supervisory Board of the Lviv Furniture Cluster.
For the woodworking and furniture industries, cooperation with educational institutions offers the opportunity to move from passively waiting for skilled workers to systematically shaping them. Business gains tools to influence educational content, while education gains a real partner interested in training quality.
This model of cooperation can address the labor shortage while raising the prestige of manufacturing professions among young people.
“An educational institution acts as an intermediary between a young person who must make a career choice and an employer interested in workforce. The workforce is the younger generation still studying at school. The institution takes responsibility for preparing them: providing theoretical knowledge, forming initial practical skills, and understanding what and how to do. Then it becomes the employer’s responsibility to retain this workforce,” stated Iryna Burak, Acting Director of the Lviv Professional College of Service and Printing. “The main task is to raise the prestige of the profession: to show young people what awaits them after graduation, what salary opportunities exist, working conditions, and social benefits.”
“Meetings like today’s are extremely important. We must understand and hear each other. In the future, we will try to meet more often. Very soon, we will move to implementing our plans,” added Oksana Straz, Executive Director of the Lviv Furniture Cluster.
The meeting of representatives of the furniture business, educational institutions, and local authorities highlighted the current state of manufacturing professions. We will continue strengthening cooperation between business and education, implementing new mechanisms of collaboration, including dual education and student employment contracts. In the near future, mutual visits between enterprises and educational institutions will begin, along with practical initiatives to promote skilled trades — open days, excursions, workshops, social media communication, and joint promotional videos.
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