At the Open Day “Welcome Day Career Start” from Zaporizhzhia National University, the youth of Zaporizhzhia got acquainted with educational and professional opportunities. Zaporizhstal presented one of the most popular locations of the event and demonstrated that the path to metallurgy can be clear, modern and promising.
At the interactive location of the plant, participants learned about the opportunities available to young people already during their studies: introductory, production and pre-graduate internships, paid internships, mentor support, and for the best ones – the prospect of employment. Every year, more than 300 students and pupils receive these opportunities at Zaporizhstal and other enterprises of the Metinvest Group in Zaporizhzhia.
During communication with visitors, special attention was paid to youth support programs that help not only to start in the profession, but also to confidently build a career. In particular, the “First Job” program provides paid on-the-job training, mentor support, and additional financial incentives of UAH 50,000 during the first year of work. During the program, 248 young specialists from Zaporizhstal have already joined the program, and the payment budget has exceeded UAH 6 million.
The “Steel Future” scholarship program is available for students of vocational and technical institutions who choose specialties that are in demand in the industry. It provides not only scholarship payments, but also additional social guarantees – in particular, free meals during internships and corporate bonuses. Currently, more than 50 students are participating in the program, who have already received payments in the amount of more than UAH 370,000.
“Metallurgy has been and remains one of the basic branches of the economy, and in the conditions of the future reconstruction and transformation of the country, its role will only grow. That is why the profession of a metallurgist is not only a sought-after profession today, but also a profession with an undeniable future. It will be needed where infrastructure is being created, industry is being restored, and the economic stability of the state is being formed. In this context, youth is the engine of development, and we at Zaporizhstal consider the younger generation as an important part of the future of the enterprise and the country. That is why we systematically invest in youth support programs, create opportunities for training, a professional start, and career growth,” said Maksym Ped, HR Director of Zaporizhstal.
As part of the event, through interactive tasks – a quest and a quiz – young people were presented with the advantages of working at the plant: training at the expense of the company, a clear career path, the corporate discount system “Steel Bonus”, as well as the opportunities of the Zaporizhstal youth organization, which unites employees through sports, volunteer, cultural and motivational projects.
“I was interested in visiting the Zaporizhstal location and learning more about opportunities for young people. I heard a lot of useful information about training, practice and work, I took a quest. This is a clear prospect for Zaporizhzhia, so the topic interested me. I saw that there are real opportunities for development here,” said schoolboy Mykyta Podkova.
Together with Metinvest Polytechnic, representatives of Zaporizhstal presented the participants with a complete route – from choosing an education to building a career in metallurgy. Modern educational programs, digital simulators, practice at enterprises and a flexible learning format make this path accessible and understandable for young people. Information on university admission, educational programs and offers for young people can be found on the Metinvest Polytechnic website.
“Zaporizhzhia is a metallurgical city, so this topic is close to me. At the event, I learned more about the advantages of working at Zaporizhstal and thought that this could be an option for my future profession. I was interested in programs that can help with studies, practice and starting work,” shared schoolboy Artur Karlenko.
Through lively communication and real examples of career growth, schoolchildren were once again convinced: metallurgy today is not just a profession, but an environment of opportunities, where they support, teach and help build the future. (Zaporizhstal)