Modern higher education has long since ceased to be limited to lectures, lecture notes, and exams. Sumy National Agrarian University is consistently developing a practice-oriented model of education, in which future professionals work in real-world production settings while still in school, learn from experienced professionals, and take their first steps in their careers. That is why the university’s long-standing partnership with Ukraine’s leading employers has become an integral part of student training.
One such partner is MHP, which has been collaborating with SNAU for many years in the areas of dual education, organizing internships, work placements, career guidance events, and youth employment. This approach allows students not only to apply their knowledge in practice but also to build their professional careers even before completing their studies.
A striking example is the story of Taras Pidluzhny, a student in the Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Natural Resource Management. When he enrolled in the university, he chose his major more intuitively, without a clear career plan. However, it was his studies at SNAU and his first experiences in the field that completely changed his perspective on the profession.
The turning point came when he participated in the MHP Agri Future forum and completed an internship at MHP-Urozhayna Kraina. Hands-on work in the field, modern equipment, hundreds of hectares of crops, and the realization that every decision affects the future harvest helped him discover agronomy in a whole new light.
Taras himself is convinced that it was the combination of his university education and practical experience that allowed him to grow professionally so quickly. The fundamental knowledge he gained in the classrooms at SNAU enabled him to understand the principles governing plant growth, agrochemical processes, and modern crop cultivation technologies, while his work in production taught him the most important lesson of all—responsibility for every decision he makes.
The result exceeded all expectations. In just eight months, Taras went from intern to agronomist at the “Sumy” production division of “MHP-Urozhayna Kraina,” successfully balancing his professional work with his studies at the university.
“At university, you gain a solid foundation—you learn how everything is supposed to work under ideal conditions. But in practice, the main difference is the level of responsibility, where every decision you make directly affects the actual harvest and the company’s financial results. Here, you learn to take responsibility. However, university courses remain an important foundation. What helps me most in my practical work is my knowledge of agrochemistry and plant physiology,” says Taras Pidluzhnyi about his educational and practical experience.
Taras’s story is just one of many. Every year, dozens of SNAU students participate in internships, work placements, and dual education programs at the university’s partner companies. It is precisely this educational model that allows young people to gain their first professional experience while still in school, develop the necessary competencies, find their place in the job market, and confidently launch their careers.
SNAU is convinced that quality education flourishes where the university and employers work as a single team. The combination of a solid theoretical foundation, state-of-the-art facilities, and an extensive network of business partnerships provides students with what matters most—real opportunities for professional development. That is why the future of everyone who chooses SNAU is shaped not only in the classrooms but also at modern enterprises, alongside mentors who help them take their first confident steps in their chosen profession.
