Artificial intelligence is changing the rules of the game: how young people are preparing for the future in IT

On April 11, 2025, Lviv became the main attraction for young people dreaming of a career in IT. It was here that IT Future Fest 2025 took place - the largest educational event of the year, which brought together about 7,000 participants , of which more than 3,000 were live participants : schoolchildren, students, teachers and IT professionals.

As reported by the Lviv IT Cluster, this year's event became a platform not only for getting to know IT companies, but also for a deeper understanding of how artificial intelligence is changing the IT sector, the labor market, and approaches to professional development.

From idea to prototype: how AI is shaping a new reality

One of the key topics of the festival was artificial intelligence. Oleg Ponomarev, CTO of It-Jim, spoke on the main stage. He noted that AI is already changing the modern technological landscape, as 400 million active users use GPT chat every week, and in 2024, investments in generative AI amounted to $56 billion. In addition, according to McKinsey, 76% of respondents use AI for at least one business task.

“Artificial intelligence is a very difficult industry, where something is constantly changing. Therefore, it is important for us that young people go to study in specialties where they study mathematics, AI, and neural networks, because young specialists with new approaches are very important for development in this field. Therefore, such events are very significant for our company. After all, we can meet, talk, hear and see each other, calibrate ourselves and find future employees,” he noted.

Education that meets the challenges of the times

Among the speakers of the panel discussion “Starting a Career in IT”, important accents were made. Head of L&D office at Eleks Oleksandra Mokiy emphasized the importance of developing soft skills: “When studying technical specialties, you focus on hard skills. But if you cannot sell the solution to the client and the team, all your work will be in vain. That is why many companies are paying more and more attention to soft skills when hiring.” She also emphasized the importance of the ability to make decisions quickly and think ahead.

Maria Mashkovska, a student of the “Internet of Things” program at Lviv Polytechnic, CEO & Co-founder of the Grainmolе startup, shared her own experience, noting that the university provided many opportunities for development. In particular, access to various competitions, however, the specialist notes that modern technical education must undergo further transformation to meet the challenges and needs of the time.

Practice that prepares for work

In the career zone, participants had the opportunity to visit the stands of more than 40 IT companies , talk to their representatives, learn more about the requirements for beginning specialists and current market trends, and participate in interactive activities.

“It was very useful to have the opportunity not just to look, but also to talk with company representatives — to learn more about their work and expectations for employees. This really helps to better understand where to move next,” said Kateryna Shynkar, a 9th grade student at the Solonkiv Lyceum.

“We took part in the event to find young talents, because they are always the driving force. They come to the company as fresh blood, bring new technologies, new ideas. We regularly have vacancies for young specialists. Students of technical universities have a good background, they very easily join the team, quickly progress and grow, and we already see a positive effect after closing such positions, the teams seem to come to life,” shared Olha Bilyk, HR Director of the EveryMatrix office.

In addition, workshop zones were in operation throughout the event. The emphasis was on practical skills necessary for starting a career. Special attention was paid to the development of communication, adaptability, and the ability to work in a team - all those traits that are gaining special importance in the conditions of rapid technological changes. “The event provided not just basic information, but truly valuable insights - topical topics, experienced mentors, and a lot of practice,” commented Yuriy Novik, a student at VPU No. 29.

Education in Action: From AR to Finding Yourself

Representatives of leading Ukrainian higher education institutions, including Lviv Polytechnic National University, not only presented specialties covering machine learning, computer vision, and big data analysis, but also held a practical master class. During it, participants could create simple AR objects and integrate them into real space — it is on such technologies that masks in TikTok or games like Pokemon GO are based. In addition, they discussed how to adapt curricula to rapid changes in technology.

“This year, in cooperation with the Lviv IT Cluster, we are launching a new program “Virtual Reality Systems”, where students will be able to obtain qualifications in the development of virtual and augmented reality systems. We are convinced that these areas are the future. Such technologies are used in military affairs, in educational systems, in medicine, and in the entertainment industries,” said Ulyana Marikutsa, head of the Department of Virtual Reality at Lviv Polytechnic National University.

In addition to Lviv universities, the capital's higher education institution, the Kyiv Aviation Institute, was also represented at the event. Representatives of the university presented the developments of their students, and also announced the opening of 2 new educational programs in cooperation with the Lviv IT Cluster. “KAI is the first defense tech university in Ukraine. And we want to show that it is not scary, it is useful and important for our country and increasing defense capabilities. In addition, it was important for us to convey to future applicants that our university is not only about aviation, we train specialists in the fields of cybersecurity, information technologies, robotics and telecommunications, in particular,” commented Alla Pinchuk, an engineer at the Department of Telecommunications and Radioelectronic Systems at the Kyiv Aviation Institute.

Conclusions: How technology is shaping the future of youth

IT Future Fest 2025 once again reminded us how quickly the world of technology is changing and how important it is to be ready for it. Events of this format help young people better navigate new trends, understand what skills will be needed tomorrow, and see more opportunities for development today. All this is already influencing the choices of young people and shaping a new IT ecosystem in Ukraine.

In turn, the participation of companies in the event is not just support for education, but also an investment in the future of our state. This is an opportunity to directly interact with talented students and graduates, form a positive image of the employer and demonstrate social responsibility through support for youth and the development of technological education. In addition, this is a unique opportunity to show students and schoolchildren that good prospects for education and career are in Ukraine, and not abroad. After all, by joining forces, we can together build the industry and contribute to the restoration of the country in the future.

Event organizer: Lviv IT Cluster

Silver partners: EveryMatrix, It-Jim and Raiffeisen Bank

Media partner: Mezha

Infopartners: MAN; Diya.Osvita; Work.ua; Zaichenko.team