On November 21, 2025, a meaningful and highly productive meeting of the Employers’ Expert Council for the “Management” specialty was held with representatives of the university’s program support group.
The event was attended by representatives of the business community from Sumy and other regions of Ukraine:
- Volodymyr Lobodin, Commercial Director, VINHAB Logistics Holding LLC;
- Yurii Myshko, Director, Keramfort LLC;
- Vitalii Odynets, Director, Like Bud LLC;
- Oleksandr Yushchenko, Director, Rock Kava LLC;
- Serhii Hrytsenko, Director, Hydraulic Workshop LLC;
- Serhii Zaikin, Branch Manager No. 1, PUMB, Sumy.
From the university, the meeting included program guarantors and department heads:
- Ihor Rekunenko, Head of the Department of Management named after O. Balatsky;
- Oleksandr Kubatko, Head of the Department of Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Business Administration.
Key Outcome – Development of the Modern Management Graduate Model
During the meeting, participants thoroughly discussed the content of academic courses, the relevance of competencies demanded in the labor market, and identified the key characteristics of future managers that should be developed during their education.
Employers emphasized that a modern manager should have:
Soft skills shaping a professional of the future:
- Ability to learn and teach others;
- Stress resilience and flexible thinking;
- Responsibility, adaptability, ability to work in changing conditions;
- Communication skills, ability to argue and engage in dialogue;
- Teamwork and leadership skills;
- Proactivity, initiative, and desire for personal development.
Professional competencies of a manager:
- Ability to make management decisions based on data analysis;
- Strategic thinking, planning skills, and risk anticipation;
- Knowledge of modern management tools and digital technologies;
- Ability to work with clients, suppliers, and partners;
- Entrepreneurship and innovativeness in work approaches.
Personal qualities highlighted by employers:
- Openness to new knowledge;
- Willingness to think outside the box;
- Ability to adapt quickly;
- Desire for self-improvement and leadership;
- Adherence to ethics and responsibility in professional activity.
Strategic Impact for the University
The agreed Graduate Model will serve as a basis for:
- Improving educational programs in “Management,” “Organization and Administration Management,” “Project Management,” and “Healthcare Management”;
- Updating course syllabi;
- Strengthening the practical component of education and expanding partnerships with business.
Sumy State University continues to foster dialogue with employers to provide students with an education closely aligned with the real challenges of business and the modern labor market.