From 10th Grade, Students Will Be Distributed by Professions: How Senior School Will Change from 2027

From 2027, Ukrainian senior students will have more opportunities for early professional self-determination.

Students entering the 10th grade will be able not only to continue their studies in the academic direction but also to choose a professional orientation, combining the acquisition of complete general secondary education with gaining practical skills in a specific field.

From IT and medicine to agriculture, business, or design — the new approach aims to help students better understand their own interests, get acquainted with future professions while still in school, and plan their further education and career more consciously.

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has approved the Model Educational Program for Profile Secondary Education by Professional Orientation. This is one of the key stages of the profile secondary education reform, which expands students' opportunities in choosing their own educational trajectory.

What opportunities will students have from 2027

From September 1, 2027, students entering the 10th grade will be able to choose between the academic learning path and profile secondary education by professional orientation.

Education by professional orientation will combine obtaining complete general secondary education with mastering practical skills necessary for further professional development.

For senior students, 10 learning profiles are provided:

• agricultural;
• construction;
• transport and logistics;
• engineering and technology;
• medical;
• IT;
• business and administration;
• educational and humanitarian;
• hospitality and event organization;
• beauty services and design.

"The new program gives senior students more opportunities for a conscious choice of the future. Students will be able not only to obtain complete general secondary education but also to get acquainted with professions, gain practical experience, and better understand which professional path they want to choose. This is an important step in the reform of secondary education, where learning is connected with real life and future careers," said Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Dmytro Zavgorodniy.

How the education will be organized

The education will last three years and will amount to 180 ECTS credits of classroom and independent study.

Each year, the share of profile education will increase. In the first year, students will go through a profile-adaptive stage, and during the next two years, they will gradually deepen their knowledge and practical skills in the chosen direction.

More than one-third of the educational program will consist of profile educational components related to a specific field of activity. Over 11% of study time will be allocated to elective subjects, which students can choose according to their own interests and labor market needs.

How the learning profiles will differ

The ratio of study time between educational components will depend on the chosen profile.

Specifically:

• the IT profile will have an increased volume of mathematics and digital technologies;
• the medical profile — biology and chemistry;
• the "Business and Administration" profile — mathematics and foreign language.

At the same time, general education subjects will be studied through a professional context.

For example, mathematics in the IT profile will be related to algorithms and digital technologies, foreign language in the "Business and Administration" profile — to professional communication, and certain topics in biology in the transport and logistics profile — to driver health and occupational safety issues.

Experience of European countries

The Ministry of Education and Science notes that this approach corresponds to the practices of many European countries.

In particular, in Finland, Austria, Germany, and other European Union countries, the professional direction is a full-fledged component of senior school, and almost every second senior student studies under professional education programs.

What graduates will receive after completing their studies

After completing their studies, graduates will receive a certificate of complete general secondary education.

In addition, they will have the opportunity to confirm their professional qualification through qualification centers.

After school, graduates will be able to choose one of several educational and professional trajectories: continue studying in vocational, professional pre-higher, or higher education institutions or start professional activity in the chosen direction.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua and to Google News SUD.UA, as well as to our VIBER and WhatsApp, our page on Facebook and on Instagram to stay informed about the most important events.