"Pivdenny" Bank and Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv have started long-term cooperation for sustainable development of education during the war

79% of corporate sector managers surveyed believe that a more applied curriculum is needed to develop public economic education in Ukraine. The main ways to assist Ukrainian universities in the education of students during the war, according to the surveyed representatives of the corporate sector, are internship programmes (70%) and the creation of grant programmes/funds (67%), joint projects with leading foreign universities (60%), and lectures by practitioners (58%).

These are the results of a survey of corporate sector employers on the challenges of developing state economic education, conducted by "Pivdenny" Bank in partnership with the research company Gradus Research*. The findings of the study formed the basis for a Memorandum of Cooperation signed on 4 October by "Pivdenny" Bank's Chairman of the Board Alla Vanetsyants and Volodymyr Buhrov, Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv.

The first step in this programme will be a series of lectures by the "Pivdenny" Bank team on the practical aspects of the subjects studied by students during the academic semester. Financial management, business valuation and risk management, cyber security, human resources, business analysis and data management are among the list of topics "Pivdenny" Bank is preparing for this academic year.

The next stage is the launch of an energy-independent academic hub at the Faculty of Economics of the National University in Kyiv, where the Bank's and business practitioners will be able to supplement the training with case studies and workshops to help students apply their knowledge in practice. This will be a modernly equipped space for students to study and relax, which will allow us to attract speakers from other cities and countries even during blackouts. In a series of master classes and lectures by practitioners, the Bank will share its experience in the financial sector, including during the martial law period.

"We understand that the conditions for education during the war are extremely difficult, so this assistance to universities will be timely for the quality training of young professionals. We plan this project not only to support Ukraine's public economic education today, but also to contribute to the country's recovery tomorrow," – says Alla Vanetsyants, "Pivdenny" Bank's Chairman of the Board.

The Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv, Volodymyr Buhrov, noted that the implementation of the agreement will provide an opportunity to improve the financial literacy of both staff and students. In addition, this cooperation will open up new opportunities for acquiring new practical skills and knowledge.

The Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Anzhela Ihnatiuk, stressed that the University and "Pivdenny" Bank will cooperate in various areas. This includes opportunities for flexible adaptation to the current needs of the labour market, meaningful improvement of academic disciplines, and feedback on the results of graduate employment. In turn, employers will have the opportunity to influence the education of specialists at the training stage, thus meeting their own staffing needs.

Information about the Bank

"Pivdenny" Bank is one of the leaders in the Ukrainian financial market, ranking third in the group of Ukrainian banks with private capital in terms of assets. According to the National Bank of Ukraine, "Pivdenny" has been classified as a systemically important bank for the fifth consecutive year.

Over 30 years, "Pivdenny" has been a reliable financial partner for private clients and businesses. The Bank specialises in servicing the large and medium-sized corporate business segment and focuses on financing products, comprehensive services for foreign economic activity and effective solutions for cash management of enterprises and their owners.

The "Pivdenny" team comprises more than 1700 active and motivated employees across Ukraine.
For three years in a row, the Bank has been ranked among the "50 Best Employers" by Forbes magazine.
The Bank also became one of the best employers in the banking industry according to the results of the EY (Ernst & Young) "The Best Employer – 2022" survey among students and professionals with work experience.

"Pivdenny" is represented in 18 regions of Ukraine, with a regional network of 49 branches.

* The survey was conducted by "Gradus Research" company using a self-administered questionnaire on the Gradus platform. Period of the study: June-July 2023, respondents – corporate sector managers among clients of the "Pivdenny" Bank, sample size: 43 experts.