GoTeach Career Guidance Program for Teens from Small Communities

21 november, 2025

Author:
ГО «Навчай для України»

War takes away children’s sense of confidence and stability.
We bring it back and show every young person: opportunities exist, and they are waiting for you.
This is what the GoTeach program is all about.

Companies that join the program open much more than office doors. They introduce teenagers to the real world of professions, role models, inspiration, and hands-on experience. Most importantly, they show that behind large companies are people who were once students themselves, with their own fears and uncertainties.

That is why Teach For Ukraine, in partnership with DHL Group, is developing a career guidance program for teenagers from small communities. Together, we are testing and scaling a model of school-business cooperation, where students explore real professional paths and company employees join as volunteers.

What Is GoTeach?
– GoTeach is a program for school students that helps them:

✔️ explore different career paths;
✔️ better understand why learning matters and how to connect school subjects with future jobs;
✔️ develop key career skills such as communication, responsibility, initiative, and teamwork.

Teach For Ukraine, in partnership with DHL, launched the program in Ukraine in 2023 and jointly developed the cooperation model.

During the full-scale war, many teenagers experience increased uncertainty about their future. The transition from school to adult life is challenging even in peaceful times and now it can feel overwhelming.
GoTeach breaks this path into clear, manageable steps: seeing professions in real life, trying out new roles, and receiving guidance from mentors.

Career Guidance Collaboration Model with Business

The GoTeach model is based on the Career Readiness Education Framework developed by the global Teach For All network, of which Teach For Ukraine is a member, in partnership with DHL Group.

Together with the Ukrainian office of DHL Express, we adapted this model to the Ukrainian context. It combines online and offline formats and consists of three sequential steps:

01 / Exposure
– introduction to different roles within the company;
– guided tours of the company’s facilities or offices.

02 / Exploration
– skill-building trainings led by company volunteers (how to prepare a CV, behave during an interview, present yourself, work in a team);
– mock interviews or opportunities to participate in a small real-life company process.

03 / Practice
– mentorship from employee volunteers;
– participation in joint mini-projects related to the company’s real work or community needs;
– elements of internships or job shadowing — giving students a close look at how teams operate and how decisions are made.

A distinctive focus of GoTeach is recorded career conversations and online sessions 📽️.
This allows students to revisit the materials, share them with other classes, and include those who cannot always participate offline.

Program Impact and Student Feedback

As of November 2025, we have completed four waves of career-orientation activities for 123 students from small-community schools.
87% of participants became interested in the possibility of working in the logistics sector after taking part in the program.

And here’s what they say:

“An incredible experience! I’ve never had a better trip in my life.”
“The tour of the DHL office really made me think about many things.”
“It was atmospheric, warm, and very professional.”
“OMG it was sooo cool! So many new emotions and impressions❤️”

How GoTeach Benefits Corporate Partners

Joining the program is an opportunity to support young people and strengthen your company at the same time:

✔️ stronger corporate social responsibility and employer brand trust;
✔️ employee engagement and motivation through volunteering: staff become mentors, speakers, and tour guides – fulfilling their desire to contribute to society;
✔️ talent pipeline development: students get to know the company and may return later as interns or early-career specialists;
✔️ employee skill development: volunteering boosts leadership, mentoring, empathy, communication, and teamwork.

Ready to Become Our Partner?

If you want your company to be a place where first professional dreams are born, confidence grows, and students ask themselves “What if this place is meant for me?” we would be happy to collaborate.

We are currently working on expanding the program’s impact: launching new GoTeach waves with companies from different sectors, involving more communities, and developing new formats of engagement.

If you:
– are ready to open your company’s doors to teenagers;
– want to foster a culture of social responsibility;
– share the idea of supporting young people in Ukraine during wartime

we would be glad to discuss possible partnership directions.
📩 To join the career-orientation projects, leave your contact information in the interest form or write to us
at [email protected].
Together, we can ensure that teenagers from small communities see not limitations – but opportunities.