To help Ukrainian female drivers master their skills in operation of heavy trucks with more than 7.5 tons weight, OKKO has become a partner of the Reskilling Ukraine training project that was funded by the Swedish government. As part of the OnTrack course for female drivers, the company will provide its expert support and introduce the course participants to the specifics of large vehicles at its distribution centers, and in future will have opportunity to offer jobs.
All 18 participants of the course have already visited OKKO's distribution center in Kyiv region, where they received detailed information on the nuances of loading and unloading vehicles and employment opportunities.
“During the full-scale war the labor market has changed, and new challenges for business are emerging, including the need of retraining women for professions that were previously considered to be masculine. But professionalism has no gender, so we are ready to hire both men and women for the positions of drivers of our distribution centers and fuel trucks,” SAID YEVHENIIA KUZMINSKA, OKKO HR DIRECTOR.
“We cooperate already with 5 Ukrainian businesses within the framework of “Reskilling Ukraine”. OKKO network has developed its own truck division and, accordingly, extensive market expertise, so our decision to offer them joining the initiative was quite logical. It is also important for us that OKKO network shares our values of equal opportunities and inclusion, which, on the one hand, will help overcome the labor market crisis and, on the other hand, expand employment opportunities for women,” SAID EVA TATAROVA, RESKILLING UKRAINE PROJECT MANAGER.
“OnTrack” course is a free training program that enables women who already have driving experience to become truck drivers. The project is implemented by the Swedish non-profit organization Beredskapslyftet in partnership with Scania Ukraine. In total, “Reskilling Ukraine” aims to complete the training of 300 women by the end of the year.