Mykolaiv’s chief architect has complained that he has to hire students due to a staff shortage

Yevhen Poliakov, Chief Architect of Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

The Department of Architecture and Urban Planning in Mykolaiv is short-staffed, so they have to hire students who are still studying.

This was revealed during a live broadcast by the director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning and Mykolaiv’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov.

According to him, the staff shortage in the department is due to the fact that Mykolaiv lacks a higher education institution that trains master’s-level architects, so students are forced to continue their studies in other cities and often stay there.

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«It’s not enough. Why? Because, for example, I’ve been working for the local council since 2019. And between 2019 and 2021, no architects came to work for the local council. This is due to several factors. Firstly, we do not have a higher education institution that trains master’s degree architects. Therefore, students studying for a bachelor’s degree, if it is a full-time course, usually go on to study in other cities and stay there,» explained Yevhen Poliakov.

He added that during martial law, it was permitted to officially employ students who had not yet completed their studies, so the department began to adopt this practice.

«We are doing this now during the war. We can hire students who have not yet received their degree but are continuing their studies. They work on a contract basis, receive a lower salary, but we assist them with their education,» noted the official.

According to Yevhen Poliakov, the department has also organised professional development courses and training in working with modern software. Students undertake practical placements at real-world sites, so they can study and work at the same time.

«This helps the department resolve problematic issues and carry out tasks that were previously difficult to implement. In particular, this applies to GIS (geographic information systems, — note) specialists, of whom there was previously a shortage,» he added.

Earlier, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that due to a reduction in salaries, city council employees had already begun leaving their posts and moving, in particular, to the regional military administration. He noted that despite this, some staff «will have to be made redundant».

It should be recalled that recently, the head of the Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, stated that the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration plans to cut around 22% of its staff due to a budget deficit. According to him, although the state has allocated more funds than last year, the increase in salaries for public sector workers has led to a shortage of funds, both in the region and in most local authorities. Consequently, there are now plans for redundancies and a reduction in bonuses.