On October 24, the NISS hosted the second meeting of the Temporary Working Group (TWG) on Development of Educational Programs in the Field of Critical Infrastructure (CI) Protection
To take part in the event more than 40 representatives of ministries, authorities, national and sectoral institutions, research institutes, international organizations were invited.
The meeting opening started with a welcoming speech by Oleksandr SUKHODOLIA, the Head of critical infrastructure, energy and ecological security department at the Center for security studies of the National Institute for Strategic Studies (NISS). The speaker delivered information on the results of the TWG’s efforts aiming at development of recommendations for educational programs and noted the importance of participation of the representatives of the Ukrainian CI competent authority’s in the event. It is the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine that has played a crucial role in the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Critical Infrastructure” and in launching the national Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) system.
In turn, in his speech Oleksandr POTII, the Deputy Chairman of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), thanked the NISS for organizing the important meeting and confirmed the importance of the enactment of the Law of Ukraine “On Critical Infrastructure”. The speaker underlined that the Ukrainian CI competent authority had given particular emphasis on explanation to foreign partners of Ukraine, first of all, to EU and U.S., how the national CIP system operates.
According to Oleksandr Potii, Ukraine’s efforts in this field attracted serious attention from partners because our state gained a unique practical experience in CIP. That is why all agreements on security cooperation signed by the President Zelenskyy with partners include provisions on cooperation in the field of CI protection and resilience.
As for human resources development for CIP system, Oleksandr Potii noted that the SSSCIP was aware that the need for qualified personnel will only increase and it was important to find the best ways of solving the problem in this field. In the framework of appropriate efforts the competent authority in cooperation with the sectoral authorities prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Economy the draft amendments to the national “Classifier of Professions” to include 4 professions relating to the CIP. In that connection the speaker expressed his satisfaction with cooperation with the National Qualifications Agency. He also noted that the SSSCIP and the NISS preliminary agreed the approach to the development of a general model for personnel education and retraining which would be presented to the meeting.
The next speaker, Oleh MAMKA, the Head of Sub-Department at the Critical Infrastructure Protection Department of the SSSCIP, in his speech informed TWG participants in more details on new 4 professions to be included in the Classifier ДК003 2010. Besides, he has reported the estimation of the shortage of trained specialists in the field of CIP. According to Oleh Mamka, the shortage is between 7,000 and 8,000 specialists across the national CIP system.
Then Oleksandr SYKHODOLIA (NISS) delivered a presentation describing the general model of the educational process covering different directions and formats of relevant activities.
The key points of the presentation include the emphasis made by the speaker on appropriateness of allocating basic and supporting specialties which could be a framework for the personnel training and education system. He also proposed a block-building principle of the curriculum providing for the availability of general education units recommended for all specialties. In this context Oleksandr Sukhodolia supported the idea of resuming work on the draft concept of building a system of education and training for the field of ensuring the CI functioning which was prepared several years ago by the working group established under the Staff of the NSDC of Ukraine. The speaker noted that requests for retraining and further training by government authorities could be satisfied right now, because sufficient national legislation is in force. For these purposes educational programs providers should intensify their relevant efforts.
The next part of the meeting was devoted to presentations of educational programs proposed by higher education institutions in certain specialties relating to CI.
Sergii KRAVCHENKO, chief adviser of the Legal and Anti-Corruption Policy Department of the NISS, presented the proposals on educational programs in the specialty 281 “Public Management and Administration” within the framework of which it was possible to train specialists for all levels of management of the national CIP system.
According to the presentation, nowadays it was reasonable to focus on relevant masters’ level programs while the bachelor's degree ones might be initiated by educational institutions. In this context, for bachelor's degree programs, the authors of the presentation recommended to introduce a mandatory review discipline dedicated to issues of organizational and legal framework for national system for providing security, resilience and protection of CI. To increase motivation of higher education institutions in this field the authors recommended using state procurement mechanism.
Oleksandr KOLIENOV, Deputy Head of the Faculty for Operational and Rescue Forces of the National University for Civil Safety of Ukraine, in his presentation informed the participants about the development and introduction of the educational program “Ensuring Critical Infrastructure Facilities Security and Resilience: Certificate Program”.
The speaker presented the main characteristics of the educational program “Civil Protection” in specialty “Civil Security” for obtaining a bachelor's degree. Due to existing problems with introduction of professional standards, the university chose the option with a certificate program. According to the speaker, the university is planning to develop and introduce master's degree programs to train specialists for the sectoral and functional authorities in the field of CI security, protection and resilience.
Roman YAKOVCHUK, the head of the Department of civil protection of the Lviv State University of Life Safety (LSU LS) informed the TWG participants that educational activities were conducted in specialty 263 “Civil Security” in accordance with the requirements of the current higher education standard. The LSU LS has developed the proposals for a mending higher education standards in force both for bachelor’s and for master's degrees programs. According to speaker, the university has chosen engineering protection of CI, first of all, its energy facilities, as its priority. To illustrate LSU LSʼ efforts in this field Roman Yakovchuk presented the structural diagram of the educational programs for bachelor’s and for master's degrees programs.
Vitalii PLOSKYI, Head of the Department of Architectural Structures, Head of the Defense Programs Center of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, talked about the situation with training for CI at their university. He informed, inter alia, that the university has started rebuilding the Department of special and defense construction in Ukraine. Vitalii Ploskyi also reported on introduction of the master’s program “Construction and operation of special-purpose facilities” in specialty 192 “Construction and civil engineering”. From the point of view of Vitalii Ploskyi, training in disciplines related to CI for specialties 191 and 192 need to be launched. In specialty 192 it would be reasonable to introduce educational-professional program tentatively titled “Optimal design, construction and operation of critical infrastructure facilities” to involve specialists with the bachelor’s educational level.
Viktoriia PLAVAN, Head of the Department of Chemical Technologies and Resources Saving of the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design (KNUTD), reported on peculiarities in training specialists for CI in their university. The speaker noted that for the KNUTD it was possible to train specialists for critical infrastructure in two specialties: 161 “Chemical technologies and engineering” as well as 183 “Technologies of environmental protection”. The speaker also supported the view that the education process should be launched at the master’s level when a person is capable of a fully conscious choice. According to Viktoriia Plavan’s vision, the KNUTD would be able to play a serious role in educational processes for CI rebuilding and reconstruction to be made on a newly developed chemical technologies basis.
Rena MARUTIAN, Professor of the Global and National Security Department of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, reported that the National University of Kyiv made its first graduation of Masters on specialty 256 “National Security (within the framework of the educational and scientific program “The national security strategic management (by certain areas of provision and types of activities)”. The program includes selective unit 2 “Security component in foreign policy”, which in its turn, includes discipline 2.1 “Critical infrastructure protection” designed to familiarize with CIP issues. At the same time, selective unit 3 “Critical infrastructure management” is exclusively dedicated to CI, and this year 13 people were accepted for full-time education under this program.
The experience of holding the first course in Ukraine for state employees on critical infrastructure was told by Valentyna LISOVSKA, Head of the Center for Professional Development in Sphere of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the High School of Public Governance. She reported on experience gained in organization of the advanced training on the topic “Critical infrastructure security and resilience”, which was conducted in early October 2024 in the High School of Public Governance. The program of the training was developed in cooperation with the NISS, and one of the teachers was Oleksandr Sukhodolia. The targeted audience was state employees of categories Б and В. The course program was designed for 3 days. Valentyna Lisovska emphasized the importance of such a course under current unstable security environment. The high number of applications for participation in such courses indicated that demand for them can be expected to be consistently high.
Batyr KHALMURADOV, head of the Department of Civil and Industrial Security of the Faculty of Environment Safety, Engineering and Technology of the NAU, devoted his presentation to public awareness and refresher courses. For these purposes the Center for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience was established on a basis of the Department. According to Batyr Khalmuradov, the programs for refresher courses were developing in cooperation with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine. The targeted audience is CI operators. The center will develop programs for education and training on CI security and resilience for different levels: from school to management of branch industries, etc. The speaker informed that their efforts were based on experience and results of the Working Group established at The U.S. President's National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). The head of the Center underscored that, according to the U.S. approach in this field, ensuring security is a continuous process starting since childhood.
The general discussion started with a speech by Yevhen LINCHEVSKYI, Head of the division of critical infrastructure of the Department of implementation of priority projects of regional development and critical infrastructure of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.
The speaker stressed that from the Ministry’s perspective, the urgent need for staff in the sphere of CI security, protection and resilience is obvious. At the same time, it should be taken into account that it is the CI owner/operator who charged with the main responsibility for appropriate efforts to ensure secured and resilient operation of a critical facility.
Y. Linchevskyi talked that currently there were cases when personnel recruited from other areas and positions faced problems in understanding even basic issues related to CI. In this connection the speaker expressed his hopes that efforts made by the above-mentioned Center of the NAU to develop refresher and advanced training courses would help to resolve the problem in the short term. Besides, in his view, for the development of relevant programs it is critically important to involve all stakeholders already in the initial stages of work.
Iryna TYMOSHENKO, Head of the Critical Infrastructure Security Service of the Staff of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDCU), expressed her satisfaction with the progress achieved in developing educational and training programs for СI in Ukraine. In this connection she recalled the skepticism about adopting a relevant concept three years ago. Among the achievements in TWGʼs activity, Tymoshenko highlighted the level of educational institutions involvement. She also noted the importance of the assessment of human resources needs in the field of CI operation maintenance. At the same time the representative of the Staff of the NSDCU expressed her concern about the passive position of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine regarding educational programs development in the field of CI including ministry’s responding to recommendations based on Research on Critical Infrastructure Protection education in Ukraine made by CRDF Global (Ukraine). In connection with the above she recommended more active involving the above-mentioned ministry for activities relating to CI because it is the Ministry of Education and Science that should be the organizer of building the education system for CI in Ukraine.
General discussion continued by Oleksandr BAKALYNSKYI, the Senior Research Scientist of the G.E.Pukhov Institute for Modelling in Energy Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IPME), who supported the opinion of his colleague Yevhen Linchevskyi, regarding the desirability of early involving representatives of those bodies in training programs development which currently carrying out relevant practical work in this field. Besides, he highlighted importance of cyber security knowledge for CI specialists at all positions and levels, but especially, at higher managerial ones.
Serhii BIELAI, Deputy Chief of the Centre for the Organisation of the Educational Process, Chief of the Scientific and Methodological Department of the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine (NANGU), in his commentary noted that the academy was closely following the efforts by the TWG because approximately 2/3 of tasks assigned to the National Guard were related to CIP. The NANGU prepares specialists in accordance with the standard of higher education in specialty 251 “State security”, and Serhii Bielai expressed his opinion that the academy in the nearest future would be more actively involved in development of the educational and training programs within the framework of TWG activities.
Anatolii BELIKOV, Acting Head of Department of Labor Protection, Civil and Technogenic Safety of the Prydniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies, informed that the department headed by him currently was developing the educational program “Ensuring security and resilience of the critical infrastructure facilities”. He also drew the attention of the TWG participants to the need for a clearer distinction between CI resilience and protection.
In her comments Lyudmyla AKIMOVA, the Deputy Head of the National Qualifications Agency (NQA), noted, that it is on the basis of professional standards that educational programmes should be developed. The professional standard allows defining what graduates should know after they have completed the training program. Now agency’s register includes 374 professional standards, and 400 more applications for standards revision registered on the website of the agency. The NQA is committed to improving the adoption and revision process including in the sphere of CI security and resilience.
Bohdan NiIKOLAIENKO, chief specialist of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Department of the Administration of the SSSCIP, informed the TWG participants on cooperation between the authorized body and Institute of Special Communications and Information Protection (ISZZI) of National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". ІSZZI prepares specialists in several specialties, including specialty 125 Cybersecurity within the framework of the educational and professional program “Cybersecurity and information protection”. He also briefly described how the identification of professions in the field of CIP is carried out. In this context, Bohdan Nikolaienko expressed his satisfaction with the explanations provided by Lyudmila Akimova, representing NQA.
At the end of the meeting its moderator, Oleksandr SUKHODOLIA, thanked the members of the TWG for work made and urged to finalize the summarized proposals on content of the educational programs according to different specialties. It is expected that the TWG effort results will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministries of Ukraine and to the Staff of The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine for making relevant decisions on adoption and clarification of appropriate standards. Also it is planned to contact both educational institutions regarding introduction of appropriate programs and training providers to organize refresher training and retraining courses for which the sectoral and functional authorities should identify their needs.
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