Vocational education

Vocational education, or technical vocational education (profesiyna of profesiyno-tekhnichna osvita - професійнa (професійно-технічнa) освітa), has 3 different levels in Ukraine:

• 1st level: a study programme of 1 year.
• 2nd level: a study programme of 1½ to 4 years, this depends on previous education.
• 3rd level: a study programme of 2 years after secondary education.

Some programmes combine vocational education with general education. If students spend enough time on general secondary education, they can also take the general secondary education exam.

Next to technical vocational education, there is a professional junior bachelor's programme (fakhovi molodshi bakalavr - фаховий молодший бакалавр). This study programme is not part of higher education, but belongs to the type of education that comes before it: 'professional prehigher education'.

The duration of a professional junior bachelor's programme is:

• 4 years after 9 years of primary education; or
• to 3 years after 11 years of general education (12 years in the new system).