Vasyl Lendel: “Over 70% of our graduate students are already working in their specialties”
“Rapid development of science and technology places high requirements on higher educational institutions regarding the level of training of chemistry students who are currently in great demand in the labor market. The Faculty of Chemistry of UzhNU provides high-quality, competitive higher education in the field of chemistry and ecology; students and graduates of the faculty are in high demand both in Ukraine and abroad.” says the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor Vasyl Lendel. We talked to him about the peculiarities of studying, research activity and employment of chemists graduating from UzhNU.
What kind of innovations can your faculty offer to its entrants in 2018?
It is important to note that until recently we offered our entrants only two specialties - chemistry and ecology. Recently we introduced a new one - "secondary education" chemistry and ecology. It’s a great advantage because our alumni will have the opportunity to work as teachers of both subjects - chemistry and ecology. This is a guarantee that a chemist will find a job in any school. On the other hand, if our alumni are employed as chemists by factories, they will also be able to fulfill the duties of ecologists.
At present, our alumni are successfully working for such enterprises as “Jabil”, “Yazaki”, Perechyn timber and chemical plant, etc. We introduced new special courses for those students who are already working for these companies, taking into account the peculiarities of work in manufacturing.
We have also concluded contracts with the factories employing our students, which provide our students with the opportunity to undergo practical training. Students can see what they are required to know and factory managers understand whom they need. Thus, when finishing the 4th year of study, students see the prospects of their employment. Over 70% of our graduate students are already working in their specialties. At the moment, the manufacturing enterprises are looking for three more chemists, but all our students are already employed.
Our chemists and ecologists have also been rated highly abroad. Seven of them are currently working in Hungary, including two candidates of sciences, who defended their theses there. If a chemist wants to find a job in specialty, he or she has no problems with it. All manufacturing companies need chemists.
How is students’ scientific work organized at the faculty?
In 2017, 27 students of our faculty were co-authors of scientific publications. Most students are engaged in the scientific activity, all teachers of the Faculty of Chemistry have academic titles either of candidates or doctors of sciences.
I also want to note that lots of alumni of the Faculty of Chemistry of UzhNU became leading scientists, professors, heads of famous metropolitan universities and prestigious institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. For example, Vyacheslav Koshechko is the Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Director of L.V.Pisarzhevsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv), an Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, a Laureate of the State Prize in Science and Technology, Academician of NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, professor, world-renowned and prominent scientist in the field of physical chemistry, authoritative leader, a respected and well-known person in Ukraine and far beyond its borders.
