On 1–2 May 2025, the final meeting of the fifth cohort of the training platform for Administrative Service Centre (ASC) Leaders, implemented by the Polaris Programme, took place in Lviv. For two months, 31 participants from 19 oblasts of Ukraine completed an intensive training programme covering personal effectiveness, change management, team development, communications, and emotional intelligence.
Maryna Bobranitska, Head of the Department for Systemic Development of Administrative Services at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, delivered opening remarks at the event. She emphasised the importance of professional training and resilience-building among ASC leaders, who are key in mitigating daily risks, introducing modern approaches to promote digitalisation, and improving public services. She noted that to achieve ambitious results, leaders must learn to motivate and collaborate effectively with their teams.
This cohort attracted 83 applications, from which 31 ASC leaders were selected and completed the programme. Participants represented ASCs from a variety of hromada types: city (15), settlement (10), and village (6). The group included both experienced managers and newly appointed specialists who had recently become ASC heads.
The combination of management and organisational experience proved to be a powerful resource for joint learning. Interaction among representatives of ASCs established between 2012 and 2023 contributed to a deeper understanding of shared challenges and the search for practical solutions adaptable to each hromada’s context.
“ASC heads had the opportunity to present their achievements, reflect on their experiences, discuss challenges, and find common solutions. The Training Platform has helped spread best practices, introduce innovative approaches to ASC work, and shape a vision for the further development of administrative services in Ukraine. We are grateful to Polaris for this informative and valuable learning experience and the opportunity for managers from different regions to meet, exchange ideas, and gain new knowledge to enhance service quality,” shared Yuliia Ormandzhi, Head of the ASC in Nova Kakhovka.
The programme included a series of online classes and trainings, work in the "Laboratory of Changes", webinars, and concluded with a final meeting in Lviv. According to participants, the combination of practical content, inspiration, and live professional interaction was one of the platform’s main strengths.
“The training flew by in one breath, offering insightful sessions, successful practices, warm exchanges with colleagues, engaging presentations, and countless new ideas! My notebook is already full of plans that I will soon implement in my local ASC. I sincerely thank the Polaris Programme for its productive and inspiring atmosphere and my colleagues for their active participation and contributions to our shared goal of making administrative services more accessible and higher quality!” – said Tetiana Pecherytsia, Head of the ASC in Kremenchuk.
“We are pleased to see how each wave of training not only strengthens the professional capacity of ASC heads but also builds a powerful community of change leaders in the administrative services sector. The diversity of participants, their experiences in relocation or on the home front, and their readiness to grow – even during wartime – is truly inspiring. It makes the platform dynamic, relevant, and impactful,” noted Susanna Dellans, Polaris Team Leader, SALAR International Representative in Ukraine.
Five cohorts of the platform have already brought together 146 ASC heads, forming a strong professional community that continues to improve the delivery of administrative services across Ukraine's hromadas.
