Ternopil National Economic University has for many years worked closely with the best universities, educational foundations, scientific institutions and public organizations in Europe. By participating in international projects, TNEU scientists gain new experience and, at the same time, generate interesting ideas, implementing them at their alma mater. The Ukraine-Norway project signifies a new page in the cooperation between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Norway. We live in a difficult time - a time of struggle for strength and struggle for our freedom and statehood. Norway did not stand idly by in the face of the events taking place in Ukraine, as they went through some difficult stretches on the road to their independence as well. Norway aims its assistance at the needs of the Ukrainian Army, as well as the support of servicemen released to the reserve and members of their families. The project "Ukraine-Norway" allows the servicemen released to the reserve and their family members to gain a new profession, start their own business, realize themselves, and grow professionally. Training within the framework of the project contributes to increasing the competitiveness of servicemen in the domestic labour market, their employment, social adaptation to civil life. In addition to Norwegian partners - the Norwegian Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs and the University of Nordland - the best domestic universities and public veteran organizations of Ukraine are participating in the project. Ternopil National Economic University is always open to interesting and socially relevant educational projects. In 2014 the work on the project "Ukraine-Norway" at TNEU and the cooperation with the president of the International Foundation for Social Adaptation Volodymyr Rubtsov started thanks to the initiative working group under the direction of the Education and Research Institute of Innovative Educational Technologies director Oksana Desyatnyuk.

Every project we implement is beneficial to the university, because it is an opportunity to exchange experience with foreign partners, new business acquaintances, followed by interesting and effective programmes. Work on the project "Ukraine-Norway" is useful not only for military personnel and their families, but also for the teaching staff of our higher educational institution. Therefore, we plan not only to continue the project’s implementation at TNEU, but also to further develop it in the following areas: individually train students who passed the first stage of advanced training through the teachers advising and supporting their practical activities; search for initial funding for the most interesting business plans developed by the project participants; conduct additional business trainings by promoters who were trained in the first stage (advanced training courses) and the involvement of practitioners, top managers. Given the International Foundation for Social Adaptation agrees to help us with financing, we are planning to launch an innovative programme "Accounting in Ukraine in the conditions of European legislation implementation". As part of this programme, the possibilities of applying Norwegian experience in this field will be explored.

The project was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense during 2003-2007, and since 2008 it’s being funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and with the participation of the Norwegian partner - the University of Nordland. If available, the funds of the direct project implementers - national universities and public veteran organizations of Ukraine - are also used for the project financing. This allows for the expansion of the range of educational services provided and the enrollment of more troops and their families who are undergoing vocational retraining. For example, from 15.05.2015 to 31.07.2015, out of a hundred project participants, nine people were studying at the expense of the Ternopil National Economic University.

The signing of this Memorandum provides the necessary legal basis not only for the development of the Ukraine-Norway project, but also substantially broadens the horizons of cooperation between Ukrainian universities and the University of Nordland. It also contributes to the joint development of the new competencies necessary to deepen Ukrainian-Norwegian cooperation, to stimulate research and education activities in mutually beneficial fields, to organize joint scientific and practical conferences and seminars, as well as to encourage cooperation of the parties on issues of increasing financing within the framework of the project "Horizon-2020" and other programmes of the European Union.

Participation in the project "Ukraine-Norway" provides an opportunity to gain a positive practical experience of cooperation between TNEU and the University of Nordland, to organize joint research and events on educational programmes of Ukraine and Norway, to find new partners in Ukraine to jointly overcome the socio-economic crisis in our state, to explore problems in the development of our region and help to overcome environmental, energy, socio-economic difficulties, develop the infrastructure of small cities. We also have the opportunity to receive additional financial resources from the International Foundation for Social Adaptation in the conditions of the shortage of budget financing of higher education. All this contributes to bettering the positive image of TNEU in the domestic and European educational space.

Training and retraining of servicemen released to the reserve are carried out at the Ternopil National Economic University in the field of Accounting and Audit in the Service Sector. This direction of training is chosen in accordance with the needs of the regional labour market, recommendations of the regional employment centre, requirements of small and medium enterprises and potential employers. The educational process is provided by the teaching staff that have significant experience working in the audit and consulting companies and at the flagship enterprises of the regional economy. While implementing the "Ukraine-Norway" project, TNEU applied an individual contact form of training for the first time. It’s an intensive, targeted educational methodology that provides insight and practical skills in using a systematic approach to creating their own business for servicemen, ATO participants and their family members. This is possible thanks to the experience of practitioners and the generation of business ideas by the project participants, the selection of tools for their successful implementation in terms of resource constraints and modern challenges.

Participants of the Ukraine-Norway project, who have successfully completed retraining courses at TNEU, are issued a state-level qualification certificate, a diploma from the Norwegian-Ukrainian Project on retraining of servicemen in Ukraine on behalf of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence and the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with participation of the Higher School of Business at the University of Nordland, as well as a relevant international certificate. Diplomas and an international certificate of advanced training significantly expand the possibilities of employment in the relevant civilian profession not only in Ukraine, but also abroad.

We have been working on a long-term plan for cooperation with our partners for a while. On our part, we want to expand the list of specialties, in which the professional retraining of servicemen will be carried out. We plan to conduct joint activities aimed at increasing motivation of project participants to active social adaptation in the conditions of modern market relations. We will also help students in finding employment and opening their own business and family business. I would also like to note that the experience of educational and scientific institutions in Norway is very valuable to us. Today, TNEU's international cooperation is being implemented through 11 educational and professional programmes. Our students study at the Lublin Catholic University (Lublin), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Dortmund), the University of Computer Sciences and Economics in Olsztyn on the programs of two diplomas. I think it would be interesting and useful for TNEU students to study at universities in Norway, and Norwegian students would be able to study in English-language programmes at TNEU. TNEU scientists are working on the development of topical energy conservation issues and the exchange of relevant scientific developments with Norwegian counterparts. Ternopil National Economic University is a reliable partner, because we are professional in work, competitive in the market of educational services team players, rapidly adapting to the realities of the present, consistently developing, result-oriented, long-term strategists.