UWS has been recognised for its outstanding support for Ukrainian students by the UK Council for International Affairs (UKCISCA).

 

The University’s partnership with the Ukrainian State University for Railway Transport (UkrSURT) has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Student Support Award (Academic experience) category at the (UKCISCA) #WeAreInternational Awards.

 

The partnership between UWS and UkrSURT was initially formed as part of the Universities UK #TwinForHope campaign. The award shortlisting celebrates the impact of the partnership on UkrSURT students, particularly focusing on UWS’s delivery of an MSc in logistics and supply chain management programme to these learners in Ukraine. 

 

UWS has been working with the Ukrainian State University for Railway Transport in Kharkiv since January 2023, supporting its students and staff throughout the conflict to continue teaching, learning and research.

Discussing the partnership, Stephanie Pitticas, Vice-Principal (Internationalisation) at UWS, said: “Universities UK’s #TwinForHope initiative enabled UK institutions to work with Ukrainian counterparts to share resources, expertise and solidarity. When war disrupted higher education in Ukraine, partnerships with UK universities like ours offered hope.

 

“Our partnership with UkrSURT has since developed significantly and is a particularly special partnership. It is fantastic to see that our support for the next generation of logistics and supply chain professionals in Ukraine is helping to support the country building back in a post-war era.

 

“To be nominated for an award like this is testament to the genuine partnership working between UWS and UkrSURT, we have learned from each other and we have witnessed inspiring levels of resilience.”

 

To be nominated for an award like this is testament to the genuine partnership working between UWS and UkrSURT, we have learned from each other and we have witnessed inspiring levels of resilience.

Stephanie Pitticas, Vice-Principal (Internationalisation) at UWS

 

Kateryna Taran, a Ukrainian student is studying on UWS’s MSc Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management course, said: “I’m currently working in a logistics company in Ukraine and I wanted to get a formal education in this field. We’ve had really good support from both institutions UWS and UkrSURT – the British side provided international experience, such as how international companies work, and the Ukranian side give us the local reality.”

 

Another student studying on the UWS programme said: “The impact of this programme on what I do is immeasurable, I would say – it is super, super valuable.”

 

As well as delivering high-quality teaching and learning to students in Ukraine, UWS has – throughout the partnership – also provided physical aid and various hardware, including USB lighting and power banks, to enable students and staff to continue vital reaching and learning during any power outages and developing longer-term approaches such as research collaborations.

 

Another student on the programme, Daryna, commented: “There were times we didn’t have electricity, due to missile attacks and also sometimes there were air raid alerts. But through this programme, I am already getting more complex tasks at work, and more responsibility.”

 

Vladyslav Panchenko, Vice-Rector for Research and Education at the Ukrainian State University for Railway Transport, said: “The partnership between USURT and UWS is a really good investment for people who will soon be leading not only companies, but entire economic sectors in Ukraine.

 

There were times we didn’t have electricity, due to missile attacks and also sometimes there were air raid alerts. But through this programme, I am already getting more complex tasks at work, and more responsibility.

Ukrainian student on the programme, Daryna

 

“My job in the University is to help our students to get modern knowledge and international experience in times of war. This is hard to do without a proper partner, but University of the West of Scotland delivers in the field of logistics, and they are also really flexible – we are thankful to them.”

 

The partnership between USURT and UWS is a really good investment for people who will soon be leading not only companies, but entire economic sectors in Ukraine.

Vladyslav Panchenko, Vice-Rector for Research and Education at the Ukrainian State University for Railway Transport

 

Both partners will soon witness the first graduating student cohort from the programme in the summer of next year.

 

Stephanie Pitticas, Vice-Principal (Internationalisation) at UWS added: “To congratulate our first graduates will be a momentous occasion. It will not only be a fantastic milestone for the partnership, but an extraordinary achievement for everyone involved with the dual award. We have also just had the pleasure of welcoming our second cohort of students to the programme earlier this year.

 

“This partnership is about more than just studying. It is about helping Ukraine and its people prepare for the future – rebuilding communities and rebuilding a country. With shared voices, shared knowledge and shared resilience, we are directly helping build the foundations for recovery.”