At the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, training has begun for specialists who will support war veterans and demobilised persons. The programme was launched on 21 September as part of an experimental project of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. Ivan Franko National University of Lviv has become one of only two classical universities in the country to join this initiative.
The future specialists will work with veterans, demobilised service personnel and their families, helping them adapt to civilian life. This involves support in accessing state services and benefits in the fields of rehabilitation, employment, education and social security.
The University already hosts a Centre for Veteran Support and Social Initiatives and a veterans’ council. The Centre provides psychological and legal assistance, facilitates education, professional development and employment for veterans. Earlier this year, the University opened a veterans’ space, available to veterans, their families, the academic community, volunteers and the wider public.
The Head of the Centre for Veteran Support and Social Initiatives at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Yaryna Tanchak, stressed that the training is practice-oriented and provides long-term professional support for participants in the programme.
The training will run until December. Participants will be divided into three groups, each of which will have four weeks of in-person classes.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Lviv Regional Council, Yaroslav Hasyak, emphasised the importance of systematic work with veterans from the moment they are granted the relevant status. He expressed his gratitude to the University management for organising the training of such specialists and confirmed that the Lviv Regional Council stands ready to support similar initiatives, including through the regional budget.
The opening of the programme was also attended by the representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Lviv Region and member of the Lviv Regional Council, Taras Podvirnyi.