Sevastopol has seen the end of the first stage of a Ukrainian-Norwegian social adaptation project designed for the Ukrainian naval servicemen to be retired as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reduction program. On this occasion, the Sevastopol National Technological University awarded diplomas to its first graduates, 45 commissioned and non-commissioned officers, the Ministry of Defense press service reports. The naval servicemen received two — a Ukrainian standard and a joint Ukrainian-Norwegian — diplomas, following a three-month retraining course. The ceremony was attended by Rear Admiral Ihor Kniazev, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy; Jostein Bernhardsen, Ambassador of Norway to Ukraine; Viktor Karpenko, Rector of the Sevastopol National Technological University; and Frode Mellemvik, Rector of the Bodoe Regional University of Norway. The project was implemented by the joint efforts of the defense ministries of Ukraine and Norway. Classes were conducted on the premises of the Sevastopol National Technological University, while teaching resources and methods were made available by the faculty of the Bodoe Regional University of Norway. In particular, Ukrainian naval officers study such specialties as the economics and organization of entrepreneurship or modern information technologies in the economics of management. This is thus far the first social project of its kind in Ukraine. According to Mr. Mellemvik, the first stage will be evaluated, which will in fact seal the project’s further fate. A similar joint Norwegian-Russian project was implemented by the Russian Federation’s Northern Fleet. The project proved very effective, for more than 70% of the officers to be discharged under the reduction program found their rightful places as civilians thanks to the knowledge and skills they obtained during the retraining course.
