Lviv is a cultural capital of Ukraine and one of the leading centers of IT development. Today, there are about 416 international IT companies in the city. IT market growth gave rise to development and implementation of diverse innovative projects. Education sphere is not an exception.
Information Technology global market growth and urgent demand for IT professionals determined a set of requirements for educational projects, such as flexibility, relevance and transparency. Being aware of these requirements and having the ability to meet them have contributed to establishing the first IT University in Ukraine. In December 2016, the University received a license from the Ministry of Education. Thus, the first higher educational institution related to IT industry emerged in Ukraine.
IT Step University
On December 16, 2016, the First IT University of Ukraine was presented in Lviv. The event attendees included: Dmytro Korchevskyi (Founder and CEO of IT STEP Academy), Andriy Moskalenko (Lviv Deputy Mayor for Development), Yuriy Rashkevych (Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine)
Yanika Merylo (political and public figure, angel investment and information society specialist)
Stepan Veselovsky (CEO of Lviv IT Cluster), Yaroslav Lyubinets (Chairman of the Board of Directors at SoftServe) and representatives of other big IT firms.
IT STEP University is an authorized center of Microsoft and Cisco. This enables IT Step university students to receive international certificates from IT industry leaders in the course of their studying.
In February 2017, IT STEP University commenced intensive work—the university was presented to high school students in Lviv, Kyiv, Rivne, Lutsk, Zakarpattia, and Odesa.
In February 2017, IT STEP University commenced intensive work—the university was presented to high school students in Lviv, Kyiv, Rivne, Lutsk, Zakarpattia, and Odesa.
In the spring of 2017, IT STEP University established an IT suite. It aims to integrate the potential of educational institutions at different levels of education and develop a pre-university training program for children of new generation. Currently, IT suite provides training for students in grades 9-11. It also offers a special training program for school teachers.
In addition, the IT Step University is a co-organizer of important events both in IT and in social spheres. In June 2017, the All-Ukrainian Open Draft Tournament-64 Lion’s Cup took place at IT STEP University. The competition brought together outstanding athletes from all over Ukraine, including participants with disabilities.
From June 30 to July 2, the university hosted a pan-European conference of young scientists CEuSYP 2017. The event was attended by 50 participants from around the world, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian section of the IEEE.
In July 2017, the admission campaign at higher education institutions started, where IT STEP University showed successful statistics. The total number of entrants who applied to study at the university was 125 people. More than a quarter of them submitted the original documents—this figure became one of the highest figures among higher educational institutions in Ukraine.
The first IT Step University Initiation Ceremony for Freshmen was held on September 1, 2017.
37 entrants from different parts of Ukraine became the first It Step University students. At the ceremony, Lviv Deputy Mayor for Development Andriy Moskalenko, CEO of Lviv IT Cluster Stepan Veselovskyi, Head of EPAM Training Laboratory Volodymyr Verhun, and representatives of IT companies delivered welcoming speeches to the freshmen.
In September 2017, pre-university training started. It was designed specifically for students who see their career in IT field.
IT STEP University training program
On September 28, 2017, the University introduced a training program for heads of educational institutions, teachers, parent committee representatives, and heads of student government.
The objective of the program is to acquire and improve professional skills.
The university offers the following skills workshops.
• LeaderSkillsYouNeed skills worshop
Workshops and seminars on management and leadership
• SoftSkillsYouNeed skills worshop
Cognitive, organizational, communicative, entrepreneurial and social expertise
• TeachAdvancedSkills skills worshop
In-depth IT expertise
Training program outcomes
- Enhanced knowledge and skills in designing and delivering IT training for students;
- Discovering and implementing innovative teaching methods
- Sharing professional experience
- Increased motivation for self-development
IT STEP University and the Academy of Social Sciences in Łód (Poland) have signed a cooperation agreement.
IT STEP University and Społeczna Akademia Nauk w Łodzi have signed an agreement on academic cooperation in science, education and culture. In accordance with the agreement, students of both educational institutions have the opportunity to visit another country during their studies, share their experience and knowledge, experience a brand new culture and make friends.
The student exchange program was developed to provide students with the access to new educational resources in order to improve the quality of education and strengthen cultural and economic ties among countries.
What opportunities does the exchange program open up for the students?
• Earning credits in educational exchange programs
• Access to European international mobility projects
• Carrying out joint research projects
• Learning foreign culture and traditions
• Making new friends and building a new student community
In addition to the exchange of students, the agreement between IT STEP University and the Public Academy of Sciences provides:
• Teacher and scientist exchanges
•Joint research in the field of information technology
• Joint projects under European educational and research programs
• Conducting workshops, seminars, and conferences
The agreement outcomes signify a new level of strategic development opportunities for universities and access to IT markets in both Ukraine and Europe.
IT STEP University students win the international student research paper competition “Black Sea Science 2018”
Semen Oskerko and Vitaliy Lutsan, IT STEP University students, took the first place in the international student research paper competition “Black Sea Science 2018” in the field of IT technology and cybersecurity.
Supervised by Professor Olena Vynokurova, students worked on the project "Multidimensional Wavelet Neuron and its Learning for Pattern Recognition Tasks in the Internet of Things Applications", which explores intelligent data processing in Internet of Things applications.
On April 19, 2018 Semyon Oskerko presented research findings at the plenary session in the conference of young scientists “The state, achievements and prospects of information systems and technologies", which took place at the Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies.
“When I first saw the Wavelet Neuron formula, the heart of our project, I was amazed. I thought it would take me six months to implement it. However, with my supervisor’s assistance, I managed to do it in a month” the winner says.
The application Semen Oskerko developed has artificial intelligence elements. It can be used in smart home technology and other smart things. The main objective of the application is to help students understand the Wavelet neuron and adjust it to a specific function.
IT STEP University entrants
Every year approximately 60 entrants from all over Ukraine join IT STEP University family.
Traditionally, the first year students start their Initiation Ceremony for Freshmen
Traditionally, the beginning of the new year begins with Initiation Ceremony for Freshmen. In 2021, this event had a special charm, as it took place in the Lviv City Council and Andriy Sadovyi, the mayor of Lviv, awarded student tickets and inspired students to make new achievements.
The Integration Week is held annually in the first week of study, where invited guests help students to get acquainted and adapt to the new learning process. In 2021, Olexandra Mokiy, Head of Training and Development Department at ELEKS Corporate University conducted one of the brightest workshops.
IT STEP University students participate in international IT conferences
In addition to intensive study at the university, university students undertake research and participate in IT conferences. In the course of their studies, students actively work on their own projects, and present some of the research findings to the scientific community.
For example, an application that recognizes the movement of your eyes and allows you to control a computer with your eyes was presented at the international scientific conference "Intelligent Decision Making Systems and Computational Intelligence", which is held annually (for 15 years) by Kherson National Technical university. Andriy Kohut, a first-year student, developed the EyesMouse application and introduced it at the conference.
Not only do IT Step University students see conferences as an opportunity to attend a large-scale international event, but also to make new acquaintances in the IT community and gain invaluable experience.
IT Step University educational trips
Annually, IT Step University organizes trips abroad for its undergraduate students as well as students of pre-university training programs. Both students and teachers set out on amazing journeys in pursuit of emotions and inspiration.
IT Step University students have already have already travelled to: Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, France, Monaco, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Switzerland, Croatia and this list is expanding every year.
Not only do the students have the opportunity to visit foreign countries, get acquainted with different culture and mentality, but also attend workshops, go on a tour in foreign IT companies and practise conversational English.
In addition to trips abroad, IT Step University students get a chance to go to the Carpathians for a weekend. This is a great opportunity to сhill out, make friends, get acquainted with classmates and senior students.
A large IT campus is planned to be built in Lviv
A large IT campus is planned to be built in Lviv with the total area pf 2 000 square meters. The building is expected to have 10 floors where IT Step University and IT Step Academy students will undertake their study.
The implementation of such a project is essential for the city, because IT is rapidly developing in Lviv, the number of companies is growing, which means that the job market needs IT specialists with quality education.
According to construction project, about 1,000 students will be able to study in classrooms and training laboratories. The IT campus is expected to include:
• classrooms
• innovative laboratories
• conference halls
• a student coworking space
•a gym
• a dining room
• a parking space
IT campus will become a meeting place for active IT community of Lviv and Ukraine. We are planning to hold conferences, forums, hackathons there.
Crazy 90s: the first steps in IT in Lviv
The project "Crazy 90s: the first steps in IT in Lviv" was launched at the university. Founders of the largest IT companies in Lviv shared their experience, the history of the companies and their secrets of success.
Back in 1993, one of the largest IT companies was set up in Lviv–SoftServe. Back then, only a few people worked on their first project in a rented studio apartment, and now the company is headquartered in Texas, London, Amsterdam, Sofia, Wroclaw and Stockholm.
Taras Kitsmey, the founder and CEO of SoftServe talked about:
• Love for exact sciences, teamwork, the importance of English, youth leisure of those years.
• First computers and their impact on the company
• First investments, competitors and earnings
• Impact of Ukraine's independence on the development of the industry
• Values and motivation in the 90's that influenced the development of IT
On February 15, 2019, in the framework of the project "Crazy 90s: the first steps of IT in Lviv" the founder of the IT company ELEKS Oleksiy Skrypnyk gave an informative talk.
Oleksiy Skrypnyk talked about:
• Challenges faced in the 90's, which eventually led to the success of the company
• Project approach implementation
• Importance of self-education in the life of a businessman
• First business development strategy
• First successful projects and first failures
• Cooperation with foreign customers
• Competition
New specialization – Digital Design with Voronin Design Studio
On May 7, 2019, new specialization, Digital Design, developed together with Voronin Design Studio, was introduced at IT STEP University.
In September 2019, university students began to study:
• UI\UX design
• Basics of Digital Graphics
• Adaptive Web Design
• Mobile Applications Design
• Commercial Illustration
• 3D and Motion Design
IT Step University students win Lviv Regional State Administration and Lviv Regional Council awards
Students are awarded for their achievements (projects, research, startups, and articles) in science and technology, which contribute to development of science and social progress and are of great value for Lviv region.
2020 IT STEP University Student award winners
• Bohdan Borysei won the first place and received a ₴ 13,000 cash bonus.
• Kateryna Havrysh, Bohdan Nedostup and Semen Oskerko took the second place and received ₴ 6,500 cash bonus.
Projects developed by IT Step University students
SmartDoorBell is a device that allows you to control access to buildings in a much easier and safer way. It involves a face recognition and gesture recognition system that prevents unwanted people from entering the building. In addition, the system enables you to issue temporary passes, i.e. time-limited QR-codes. Smart Door Bell also detects attempts of false identification (for instance, using someone else’s photo). To configure a smart doorbell system, you can use a Telegram bot.
StepHub has been developed to facilitate interaction between students within one educational institution when addressing personal or organizational issues. The project allows you to provide brand new communication between students, i. d. placing anonymous advertisements that do not raise personal or professional questions but are specifically related to students and their education.
Ivan Franko Home social project. The aim of the project is to develop 3D models of museum exhibits to preserve the historical heritage and enable the blind to experience it. At present, at Ivan Franko Home, you can both see and feel 3D models of museum exhibits.
2021 IT STEP University Student award winners
• Andrii Varenytsia (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Marianna Henik (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Ivan Kahitin (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Oleksandr Kravchenko (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Kyrylo Kucherenko (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Vladyslav Mosiichuk (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Vitalii Povstenko (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
• Mykola Cherniavskyi (₴ 6,000 cash bonus)
IT STEP University student wins the national selection of the Big Idea Challenge startup competition
Semen Oskerko, a 4-th year IT Step University student, will compete for the opportunity to implement his own idea. The Obmin project, developed by Semen Oskerko, was selected nationally in the Big Idea Challenge competition and became one of the best among 90 participants!
International cooperation
What IT Step University prides on is its international cooperation, exchange programs and internships abroad. Marta Zvarych, a head of Digital Economics at STEP University and an International Cooperation Program coordinator, seeks great opportunities for students, helps them to adjust to a different educational system abroad and accompanies them both throughout applying and studying.
In September 2021, IT Step University students received a scholarship from the Government of Lithuania that enables them to study for one semester in Lithuania.
• Borys Bohdan – Vilnius University (Vilnius, Lithuania)
• Hrynak Maksym – Vilnius University (Vilnius, Lithuania)
• Krasnianska Alina – Lithuanian Business University of Applied Sciences (Klaipeda, Lithuania)
In September 2021, IT Step University signed an agreement with Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Under the agreement Illia Torenko, a second year student, took up studying in Poland.
Dual education: a win-win situation for companies and graduates
SoftServe, Sigma Software Group and ELEKS, leaders of the Ukrainian IT market, opened their doors to students of IT STEP University in September 2022!
One of the main objectives of IT Step University is constantly evolving and keeping up with IT industry development. The University succeeds in meeting the objectives thanks to cooperation with IT companies and dual education is logical continuation of its best practices.
What is special about IT Step University dual education program is that the main emphasis is on a student's personality, their preferences and making sure that educational process is convenient for everyone.
Dual education implies working while learning. To put it simply, a student studying at university gains some practical knowledge working or doing an internship in leading IT companies.
IT Step University graduates
The graduation ceremony 2021 at IT STEP University took place in an incredible atmosphere.
Lviv City Council officials and IT industry representatives Andriy Moskalenko, Oleksandra Mokiy, Galyna Datsiv , Oleg Novosad shared a crazy doze of motivation and supports with IT Step graduates. It Step University prides itself on having graduates all of whom are already working in IT industry.
We are delighted with IT STEP University achievements and are immensely proud of our students, teachers and all the personnel. We are looking forward to significant events, initiatives and accomplishments that are yet to come.
