A mission to place women at the heart of Ukraine's solar future

The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation is known for the construction of solar power plants.

However, the team has embarked on a new type of building work, building an empowered workforce of women that will be ready to usher in Ukraine’s clean energy future.

Making this vision a reality, says Yuliana Onishchuk, Founder and CEO of Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, is why the Foundation is launching Solar Step.

It’s a free-of-charge educational programme for women looking to become project managers of solar power plant construction projects.

Explains Onishchuk: “I saw the opportunity to develop a programme that would motivate and support women, that would bring them knowledge and community, and a step into the solar sector as their next career step.”

Russia’s war with Ukraine has had a significant impact on the available workforce.

Onishchuk describes it as a crisis in human resources and because the energy sector is male dominated, it has been hit hard as the country’s men exchanged transmission lines for the front lines.

Solar Step, therefore, aims to fill a sizable human capital gap, while providing much-needed support and development opportunities for the country’s women.

The programme not only aims to educate women to become project managers, but also includes valuable soft skills development, focused on leadership and building community.

With support from Mercy Corps and the Kiev School of Economics, the project was developed with Onishchuk as author and curator, using her experience to fuel its design.

“This course is my vision and mission,” she says. “When I was 25, I was lucky enough to get the chance to build a solar power plant…but I didn’t know how to do it…I learned by doing.”

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She wants to bridge Ukraine’s education gaps and ensure women have opportunities she wasn’t privy to.  

Onishchuk is acutely aware of the barriers women face in the sector.

Communicating confidently in a male-dominated industry without an official education in engineering is a tough gig. “It’s not the place for you – I heard that once,” she adds. 

But she was not deterred, and nor were the 1457 women who applied to participate in the Solar Step programme.

Says Onishchuk: “We were shocked at the number of applications we received.”

The Foundation targeted women looking to switch careers from the fossil fuel industry, as well as vulnerable women who had fled from occupied territories.

And now, she says with a tangible joy, the placements have been confirmed, and the course was launched on 1 November.

Onishchuk is enthusiastic about Ukraine’s renewable energy landscape, despite the impact of the war.

The country has many sunny days and a great deal of solar potential, although currently, investment is scarce.

“When the war is over and investments are unlocked, we should be sure that we have people who can do the projects well.”

And that is what the Energy Act of Ukraine Foundation is getting busy with, preparing an educated, equipped workforce to assist with the reconstruction of Ukraine.

“My heart is in this course,” says Onishchuk, and her focus is firmly on the future of Ukraine.

Listen to the Energy Transitions podcast below for the full conversation with Yuliana Onishchuk, and to learn more about how Ukraine is overcoming workforce challenges in the renewables sector, join Yuliana at Enlit Europe in Bilbao, taking place 18-20 November.