For all its failings the one element of the Soviet system that excelled was education. This was not only the desire of the system to produce capable workers it was part of the path to achievement within the system and has resulted today, in what is now widely recognized, particularly by the international business community in Ukraine, as a work force of exceptional quality. 
The divide between the generations who grew up in the old system and those who have learnt to enjoy the freedoms of the new is colossal however what the older generations may lack in the drive and enthusiasm of the young, they more than make up for it in intellectualism. The former Soviet education system for all its ideological failings was once second only to the British system in its ability to nurture and develop excellence. Whilst the disorder of the early years of independence hit the education system very hard indeed the changes in the recent past have begun to revive this former pinnacle of excellence and no more so than in business education.
Business education in the west is accepted a vital and necessary discipline, however in Ukraine the whole concept of “business education” is, in itself, a new phenomenon. Nobody would disagree that the level of education significantly determines the competitive ability of a country and its potential to expand and develop. This is true no matter if we talk about physics, bioinformatics or management. However Ukraine's emergence from the collapsed Soviet system meant that we had to start at ground zero and build a whole new system of thinking even before a system of education could be established.  There were few experienced teachers of business philosophy; there we even less with actual business experience thus the early system was more like the blind leading the blind from theoretical text books. 
The transition was enormous. A little more than ten years ago there was an integrated system of schooling designed to raise the skill levels of specialists in the various fields of the unified planned economy. Qualified workers were trained to very high standards in vocational schools. Young specialists with higher education were further trained in institutes and universities. The State actively encouraged achievement through education thus many periodically raised the level of their skills purely for the personal advancement of qualification.  However whilst the level of academic qualification grew nationally few were schooled in decision making and even less in business. For many, higher education leading to an immediate material benefit was unappealing as this form of materialism was frowned upon - they were encouraged to be satisfied with worker or official careers, because their interests were protected by a system that at the same time was also liberating them from the necessity of taking independent decisions. For those who chose to enter the university, the main motivation was either a desire to spend the best years of their lives happily in a vague yearning for creative job or in strident research for the glory of the State.
The results were either apathetic indifference or spectacular achievement. Those that excelled were often invited into the more secretive worlds of research and development whilst the majority were simply encouraged to “Forget everything you've learnt in the university” so they could get on with the job without rocking the boat. Whilst this was not exactly a breeding ground for young business graduates it mean that like it or not the general level of education grew to remarkably high levels.
To say that the Ukrainian business education has changed over the last ten years would be at least an understatement. The process of change has been a total metamorphosis from a pre-independence theoretical understanding of how western capitalism impacted on the “national economy” to today's advanced education on every aspect of market and how it functions from international to corporate level and most importantly the role and practice of individual responsibility. This change has been driven by two factors; firstly Ukrainian business has seriously progressed from the recent past of “cooperatives” and “state small enterprises” to serious businesses with partners all over the world and secondly, the ingrained desire of highly educated and motivated young Ukrainians to seize the opportunity of personal advancement.  The influx of western investment coupled with the 1998 financial crises meant that it was too expensive to maintain large expatriate workforces in Ukraine. The vacuum was filled by young Ukrainians who worked during the day and studied at night and at the weekends. This has resulted in the average age of middle management in progressive companies being under 30.
In reality, business education as it would be internationally recognized has only been practiced for about ten years. The first national conference on business education development in Ukraine, organized by Polish-American-Ukrainian consortium CEUME took place in 1997. Hardly anyone could agree as the established universities insisted that business education should be based solely around traditional systems of higher education in economics, whilst the new training companies were sure that business education could be handled in short term courses. Few apart from the emerging business schools recognized or understood the need for a fundamental change in thinking and it was this split in approach that led to the rapid expansion of well organized and well funded Ukrainian Business Schools.
Drive also came from the market itself where young entrepreneurs having reached the edges of the natural ability recognized the need for more formal training. They wanted more than theoretical day courses and had already dismissed the training of old style universities thus they turned to the fledgling business schools with a demand to learn. Not only did they want to learn for themselves but they wanted their staff to learn as well. Whilst the domestic business market in Ukraine could amble along in a mixture of semi market economics and almost recognizable business practice, those seeking international business or who wanted to work with international companies recognized the need to play by international rules if they wanted to be taken seriously. 
The result was a demand that even today is far outstripping the ability of the schools to deliver as there are simply too few experienced teachers to go around. Almost every month new training companies appear. Corporate training programs develop fast and there are even attempts to establish what are boldly called “corporate universities”. This demand is not simply from entrepreneurs it is the fundamental change in approach that had been predicted back in 1997.
HR managers across the country now look through all the available possibilities in the search to find educational services for all levels of the work force weather it is specific training for individuals or team building for whole departments, the trend is now irreversible. 
The largest area of growing interest and the area that holds most potential for the nation is the MBA programme development.  Today almost all of the serious business schools have their own MBA programmes and expressed their wish to enter the process of European accreditation systems of EQUIS or CEEMAN and most will succeed. As the Ukrainian market discovers the meaning of the enigmatic MBA abbreviation, the business schools are concentrating on building an independent reputation for the quality of the national programmes. Gone are the days when anybody could establish a school of this or that. Ukrainians are very discerning and will only pay for what they perceive to be quality.
During the last five years phenomenally effective work was done by CEUME (Сonsortia for Enhancement of Ukrainian Management Education leaded by University of Minnesota), with support of USAID, which has managed to unite a number of state and private universities around the philosophy of quality business education. With their help there are now regular “schools of experience” exchanges where promising teachers can study examples of western business school activity and experience and national case study competitions have been organized.
Today the “essence” of business education is not a question for the serious business universities; the most advanced of them have already established their own Ukrainian Association for Development of Management and Business Education. These universities think in market categories and work in conjunction with industry using experienced western managers to support their, perhaps, under experienced teaching staff. This has the double effect of linking the universities and their students directly to future employers and has a marketed effect on the relevance and effectiveness of the courses. In addition, they seek partnership and recognition from business universities abroad.
Of course there are a lot of problems as business education whilst it has made extraordinary progress is still in its infancy, but there's also a steady and measurable progress. The most interesting aspect is that in the nearest future, the Ukrainian demographic crisis will lead to a decrease in the number of potential graduates and thus an increase in competition between universities resulting in a marked enhancement of the quality of educational services.
The most interesting changes however are taking place in people themselves. Ukrainians of the new generation think just as much about their future, career, and success as their western counterparts. They witness the growth of successful business and recognize the almost unparalleled opportunities for their future. Initially many saw education as their ticket out of Ukraine however the rapid growth of domestic business has made many realize that the real opportunity is here.
Not that long ago the majority of university graduates simply wanted to a state certificate. Today this is not considered enough by the majority of human resources departments in serious companies. They are interested in specific skills more than basic experience, they do not want to pay for a certificate, and they are interested in knowledge, efficiency and most of all work ethic. 
The phenomenon of final year students who are ready to pay for a second higher education or additional training in their professional skills is spreading as competition for top jobs increases.  Currently there is a tendency for graduates with degrees in the Arts, particularly linguistics to become senior managers in the international companies owing to their knowledge of English or German. Not surprisingly they and their employers are ready to pay for additional schooling in the fields of management, marketing and finance.  Initially this training was carried out abroad however there has been a marked shift back to Ukraine with the advent of serious and successful business schools.
There is also a growing interest amongst both students and employers in the recognized international qualifications of CIM, CPA, IPM and REFA with students being very demanding of their teachers, a usual question being “How can you teach us if you've never practiced it successfully?” It's an interesting dilemma which underlines the need for the ongoing active participation of the experienced business community. Students are highly motivated and very sincere in their goals and demands from study particularly as their fees are, in the majority of cases, self or family funded. They spend considerable time thoroughly comparing different programs and are interested in real results with demands for meetings with both graduates and current students being the rule rather than the exception. Few put their faith and their money in mere words and advertising.    
In summary the explosive growth of business education in Ukraine is simply a reflection of what is happening within the nation. The people, particularly the younger generations, are changing.  The concept if self determination is a now an undisputable fact of life as the influence of western business ethics and standards becomes woven into the fabric of society. The education system has grasped the opportunity, adopted established models and techniques and becomes more professional and more capable with every passing day. As a result, future generations of the Ukrainian business elite will be the equal to their international counterparts. Now it is only
a matter of time.

Published in Opportunity Ukraine Magazine, #1, November 2003