29.04.2025
Following the completion of the “EnergyStart: Training for the Future” educational program, Energy Club conducted a survey to gather feedback on the course and suggestions for future program directions.
As a reminder, the “EnergyStart: Training for the Future” course aimed to prepare specialists for the energy and energy efficiency sectors. The training was conducted with the support of the project “Promoting Energy Efficiency and Implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive in Ukraine,” implemented 1 by GIZ Ukraine on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs 2 (SECO).
The course was developed and delivered in partnership with energy companies. This ensured the relevance of the educational materials and access to the latest knowledge and innovations. Program participants gained valuable knowledge from practicing professionals working directly in the field.
Furthermore, the “EnergyStart: Training for the Future” program opened the way to promising careers in energy efficiency and energy. Employment opportunities are wide-ranging: the program prepared specialists to participate in projects aimed at the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The course started at the end of January and lasted three months, including lectures, practical sessions, and independent work. Participants included representatives of local communities: heads and secretaries of rural, settlement, and city councils, specialists from economic development, housing and communal services, and energy departments, as well as public activists, environmentalists, and business representatives.
On April 16th, Kyiv hosted the forum “EnergyStart: Investments in the Future of Ukraine’s Energy Sector,” where the results of the “EnergyStart” training program by Energy Club, successfully completed by 43 participants from various regions of Ukraine, were presented.
Twenty graduates of the courses participated in the Energy Club survey on the effectiveness of the training, the relevance of lectures and materials, program improvement, and suggestions for the future. They were asked to evaluate the program by completing a questionnaire with 21 questions.
The vast majority of respondents – 19 out of 20 – were satisfied with the course and gave it the highest rating on a scale of 1 to 5. One graduate gave it a 4.
100% of the surveyed graduates stated that the classes and skills acquired during the course were very relevant and useful.
Among the aspects most liked during the “EnergyStart” course were the convenient lecture format, the relevance of the topics, the informative and accessible presentation of information, the involvement of experts who explained the material using real-world cases, the analysis, and the opportunity to ask questions and review recorded lectures, as well as the combination of theory and practice. Participants particularly highlighted the topics of legal aspects of energy and Ukraine’s European integration, energy market management, forecasting and balancing, the functioning of the electricity market and energy system balancing mechanisms.
When asked how likely they would be to recommend this course to their friends, colleagues, or acquaintances (on a scale of 0 to 10), 16 people chose 10, 2 chose 9, and 2 chose 8.
18 respondents rated the quality and usefulness of the provided learning materials (presentations, notes, additional resources, etc.) as 5 out of 5, and 2 rated them as 4.
The vast majority of respondents rated the overall usefulness and relevance of each training module to their work/interests with the highest score.
Among the modules and specific topics (lectures, practical sessions) that were most valuable and useful were: renewable energy, particularly solar energy, thermal modernization, the legislative framework in the field of European integration, energy markets and their regulation, energy market management, forecasting and balancing, electricity market pricing, renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency topics by Valeriy Bezus. Many emphasized the practical value of the information, which will help to better plan energy consumption in the community, understand the logic of interaction with transmission and distribution system operators, and take a more informed approach to the implementation of renewable energy sources.
The question “Which aspects of the course (modules, topics) were least useful or understandable for you? What would you recommend changing or improving in these parts of the program?” received the following answers: everything was informative, relevant, and understandable; all modules were useful and logically interconnected; each topic complemented the previous one, creating a holistic understanding of energy management and the specifics of energy development at the local level. Even complex technical topics were presented in an accessible way, with examples and explanations. Information on legal aspects and disputes was somewhat difficult to grasp by ear; there was a lack of visualization and presentations. The topic of legislative regulation of the electricity sector was described as specific. A suggestion was made to comprehensively introduce a “question-and-answer” format.
Participants were asked to identify topics that should be added to the course program or explored in more detail. Opinions were expressed on the advisability of adding or further detailing the topic of financing energy efficiency projects; adaptation to climate change and the energy resilience of communities; and working on a block of practical exercises to facilitate better material assimilation. “Practical sessions of the technical course should include calculations, specific case studies with participants’ analysis of situations confirmed by calculations. It would be good to have calculation methodologies for some of the approaches shown by lecturers, for example, a session on assessing the capacity of solar power plants. It would also be very good to develop a cross-cutting task for all participants and receive feedback from lecturers. It is worth adding group work during practical sessions to find solutions to the tasks,” one respondent answered.
As additional topics, course graduates suggested considering green building certification, building information modeling, municipal energy planning, the formation of a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, databases of characteristics of public buildings; practical cases in geothermal energy and hydrogen technologies; an overview and results of specific energy efficiency and renewable energy projects implemented in Ukraine: comparison of expected and actual results, payback periods, cost, etc.; wind energy from idea to implementation; industrial energy storage systems; decommissioning and termination of energy facilities; investment attraction opportunities; exchange trading, options for importing energy resources; current vacancies in the energy sector; and involving representatives of communities who have successfully implemented energy efficiency projects and use relevant equipment as speakers.
Among the course instructors whose work was most memorable, and whose teaching style, expertise, or approach to learning were particularly valuable and inspiring (participants were asked to choose no more than three options), Valeriy Bezus and Stanislav Ignatiev became the leaders – their work was noted by 18 out of 20 respondents. Maksym Nemchynov took “bronze” with 7 mentions. Yevhen Kulinko, Dmytro Olefir, Andriy Sementsov, Serhiy Kucher, Andriy Posikera, Oleg Bakulin, and Volodymyr Hromko were also highly praised.
“The teaching staff was strong, open to dialogue, and focused on practical benefits for the listeners. I sincerely thank everyone for the high-quality and inspiring learning process! Everyone demonstrated a high level of professionalism, deep knowledge of the topic, and the ability to engage the audience. The lectures were informative, relevant, and filled with practical examples, which greatly helps in implementing knowledge at the local level,” wrote the graduates of the “EnergyStart” course. “Each lecturer’s experience is unique. Stanislav Ignatiev has very extensive practical experience in various fields, well-structured presentations, and knows how to emphasize key points and keep the audience engaged. I enjoyed Serhiy Kucher’s practical session on solar power plants. Valeriy Bezus provided a general comprehensive overview of the direction in Ukraine and integration with the European course. All lecturers are great professionals in their field, a very strong professional team. The entire teaching staff demonstrated a high level of professionalism, deep knowledge of the subject matter, and relevant practical experience in the energy sector. I am grateful for the openness to discussions, the ability to engage the audience, and the motivation to further study the topics. I want to acknowledge everyone, but only three could be chosen. All lecturers are interesting – each has their own style of presenting information. The lectures were comprehensive, with minimal questions arising. Communication with the course participants was excellent, with many practical tips provided. All answers to all questions were very informative and insightful.”
For 16 graduates, the class schedule and overall duration of the course were extremely convenient (5 on a scale of 1 to 5), and for four, it was a 4.
Regarding the platform and communication assessment, respondents noted a high level of organization, clarity, and convenience of the platform – all materials were structured, with easy access to lectures, presentations, and assignments, and the ability to watch videos at a convenient time. Communication with the organizers was also at a high level: prompt responses to questions, timely notification of schedule changes, and access to materials – all of this created a sense of support throughout the entire training.
Among the suggestions for improving this course in the future were: organizing classes in the evening, adding short practical exercises or simulations after each module, and considering the possibility of adding topics related to financing energy efficiency measures, as well as adaptation to climate change, more information on energy security, programs for the disposal of used renewable energy elements, more interaction and time for discussions between speakers and listeners for experience sharing, increasing the duration of the course and practical assignments, a list of additional resources with links (international documents, regulations, articles or publications), and a diploma paper at the end of the course. It was also proposed to refine the course for its further implementation in higher education institutions.
All graduates are sincerely grateful to Energy Club for organizing the course. “The course is truly inspiring, broadens horizons, and provides a powerful impetus for practical actions in the field of energy management. I wish your initiative further development, new participants, inspiration, and energy to implement even more of these much-needed educational projects! Inspiration to you and new interesting ideas for creating new courses! To the team – do not stop at what has been achieved, successful endeavors, and a grateful audience for such important and painstaking work.
Many thanks to the entire Energy Club team, lecturers, speakers, and everyone who contributed to the organization and delivery of this extremely useful and informative course. It was a great opportunity to deepen my knowledge, share experiences, and feel part of the professional energy community. I will be happy to participate in future Energy Club projects,” wrote the course graduates.
