About us

Training built for the way work actually happens

We are a Kyiv-based professional academy on a mission to make high-quality, practical skills development accessible to every professional in Ukraine — regardless of industry, seniority or background.

SkillForgeLearning Academy founding team in the Kyiv training studio

Our story

From a Kyiv co-working space to 4,200 graduates

SkillForgeLearning Academy was founded in 2017 by a group of tech and business professionals who were tired of corporate training that filled days with slides but changed nothing on Monday morning. The founding team believed that meaningful skills development had to be led by practitioners — people who were doing the work, not just teaching about it.

We started with a single digital marketing cohort of twelve learners, running sessions from a rented room in a Kyiv co-working space on Velyka Vasylkivska Street. Word spread because the graduates got results: promotions, new projects, new roles. By 2020 we had grown to six programme tracks and a full online delivery capability that proved its value when the world moved remote.

Today, SkillForgeLearning Academy employs 34 full-time staff and 60+ active instructors. We serve individual learners, SMEs and large enterprises across Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and beyond. Through a period of extraordinary difficulty for our country, we have kept teaching — because skills are how Ukraine builds its future.

SkillForgeLearning Academy instructors collaborating on curriculum development in the Kyiv studio

Our curriculum team meets quarterly to review every programme against current industry standards. We do not publish a course and leave it unchanged — every module is reviewed on a rolling 12-week cycle using structured learner feedback and instructor-led content audits.

What we stand for

Six principles we apply to every programme

Practicality first

Every module answers the same question: how does this make you better at your job? Theory earns its place only when it leads somewhere actionable.

Instructor credibility

We only work with instructors who are active practitioners. We review their current work before every contract renewal, not just at onboarding.

Honest assessment

Certificates from SkillForgeLearning mean something because we do not award them automatically. Completion requires demonstrated competence, not just attendance.

Continuous improvement

We collect structured feedback after every cohort and revise course content quarterly. A course from 2022 should not look identical in 2026.

Learner-led flexibility

People learn at different speeds and around different schedules. We offer self-paced and live-cohort formats so a full-time job never has to be the reason someone stops growing.

Support beyond the certificate

Learning does not end at the final session. Mentorship, alumni office hours and our hiring-partner network help graduates apply new skills and move their careers forward.

Our team

Senior instructors alongside a dedicated support team

SkillForgeLearning Academy is run by 34 full-time professionals in curriculum design, learner experience, corporate partnerships and technology. Every engagement is overseen by a Programme Director who acts as a single point of contact and quality guarantee.

Olena Bondarenko

Co-Founder & Academic Director

Former VP of Learning at a Kyiv fintech; 14 years designing professional development programmes across banking and technology.

Dmytro Kovalchuk

Head of Corporate Partnerships

Ex-McKinsey engagement manager; leads all enterprise client relationships and scopes every corporate programme against measurable outcomes.

Mariia Petrenko

Lead Instructor — Data & Technology

Senior Data Scientist at a Ukrainian logistics scale-up; teaches Python, ML and analytics; author of the SkillForgeLearning Data Curriculum v3.

Andriy Savchenko

Lead Instructor — Project Management

PMP, PMI-ACP and PRINCE2 Practitioner; 11 years in IT project delivery; 89% first-attempt PMP pass rate across 380+ candidates trained.

Yuliia Hrynchenko

Head of Learner Experience

Oversees the learning platform, cohort onboarding and post-course support. Previously managed digital learning at a Kyiv-based international school.

Ivan Marchenko

Lead Instructor — Leadership & Management

Organisational psychologist and ICF-certified executive coach; designed the Leadership curriculum used by 14 of SkillForgeLearning's top 20 corporate clients.

Natalia Kravets

Curriculum Design Manager

Instructional designer with a background in cognitive science; leads quarterly curriculum reviews ensuring every programme reflects current industry practice.

Roman Pylypenko

Lead Instructor — Digital Marketing

Head of Growth at a Kyiv-based SaaS company; brings live campaign data into every session and updates course materials after each major platform change.

Our instructors come from companies including leading Ukrainian tech firms, international consultancies and NGOs. They bring live industry context into every session — because what matters at work changes faster than any textbook can keep up.

Our journey

Nine years of growth — milestone by milestone

From a single cohort in a borrowed room to a recognised professional training institution serving thousands of learners and dozens of corporate clients across Ukraine.

2017

Founded in Kyiv

SkillForgeLearning Academy launches with one programme — Digital Marketing — and twelve enrolled learners. Sessions run out of a co-working space on Velyka Vasylkivska Street. All twelve graduates find new roles or projects within three months.

2018

Expanded to three tracks

Project Management and Leadership programmes open alongside Digital Marketing. First corporate client — a Kyiv logistics company — enrolls eleven employees. Total alumni: 180 graduates by year-end.

2019

Quality guarantee introduced

We formalise our unconditional re-cohort guarantee: any graduate who completes all assignments without gaining the promised skills receives a free repeat cohort. Move into our first permanent premises at 21 Saksahanskoho Street.

2020

Full online pivot — and growth

We complete a full remote-delivery infrastructure in six weeks as COVID-19 lockdowns begin. Enrolment doubles year-on-year as professionals across Ukraine access training without commuting. Data Science & Python programme launches.

2021

1,000th graduate milestone

SkillForgeLearning Academy passes 1,000 total graduates. PMI Registered Education Provider status is confirmed — enabling us to officially prepare learners for PMP and PMI-ACP certification. Financial Literacy programme launches.

2022

Training through extraordinary circumstances

We continue operating throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, moving to fully asynchronous delivery during alerts and relocating sessions as needed. Over 60% of our learners in 2022 are internally displaced professionals rebuilding their careers.

2023

Corporate L&D division and EU partnership

A dedicated Corporate L&D division is established to serve enterprise clients. Partnership with the EU–Ukraine Digital Skills Initiative expands programme reach. Business English & Professional Communication track launches.

2024

ISO certification and 3,000 graduates

SkillForgeLearning Academy achieves ISO 29990:2010 certification for learning services. Surpass 3,000 total graduates. Expand instructor roster to 60+ active practitioners across eight disciplines. First cohorts in Lviv and Kharkiv delivered in-person.

2025

900 graduates in a single year

Record annual enrolment: 900 graduates complete programmes in 2025 alone. Learner satisfaction reaches 94%. Corporate client base grows to 47 active enterprise accounts. 58 course titles active across six tracks.

2026

Looking ahead

New programme tracks in AI Literacy and ESG Reporting are in development for launch in Q3 2026. We are expanding blended delivery to Odesa and Zaporizhzhia, and building a dedicated alumni career network for the 4,200+ SkillForgeLearning graduate community.

Our mission

To make professional growth the norm, not the exception

We exist to close the gap between the skills professionals have today and the ones their careers, teams and country need tomorrow — through training that is specific, practical and honestly assessed.

Join us

Start building the skills your career deserves

Speak to one of our enrolment advisors — no pressure, just a conversation about where you want to go and how we can help you get there.

Get a Free Consultation