Kherson State University

On the second day of the 20th International Conference ICTERI-2025, held at the Université Côte d’Azur in Nice (France), the Rector of Kherson State University, Professor and co-founder of the conference, Oleksandr Spivakovskiy, moderated the session “Applications of ICT.”

“For me, this is a special moment. ICTERI originated in Kherson in 2001 as an initiative of our university and partners. It has come a long way — from a local platform to an international conference that today unites universities, researchers, and practitioners in the field of digitalization of education, science, and innovation. Here in Nice, we are not only sharing research results but also building a community that speaks one language — the language of knowledge, values, and the aspiration to change the world. When Ukraine is heard in such halls, it is a reminder: we exist. We create. We deserve to be heard,” emphasized Oleksandr Spivakovskiy.

The first presentation was delivered by representatives of Ternopil National Technical University, who presented the results of their research “Bridging the Digital Divide: A Tailored Digital Maturity Model for SME Transformation.”

This was followed by the presentation “ Creating electronic resources to support educators' research activities using Aixploria,” authored by Maiia Marienko, Mariia Shyshkina (Institute for Digitalisation of Education, NAES of Ukraine

Key highlights included:

• The use of artificial intelligence to support educators’ research.
• The creation of electronic resources to simplify access to information.
• Opportunities for cooperation between Ukrainian and European scholars.

The session concluded with the presentation “ Industry 4.0: challenges and prospects of youth employment.”
Speakers Halyna Ryzhkova, Irena Pawłyszyn, and Yuliia Bartashevska addressed a highly significant topic: how the new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are reshaping the labor market and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for young people.

The discussion focused on:

• Skills gap: technical and digital competencies are essential, while soft skills remain equally important.
• Flexibility and mobility: young people must be prepared to thrive in a dynamic, globalized environment.
• Education–business partnership: universities and companies should jointly shape a new work culture.
• The future of employment: from automation and artificial intelligence to the emergence of entirely new professions.

“This discussion was a fitting conclusion to our session: we saw how academic science and labor market realities interact and shape the horizons for the young generation. I am sincerely grateful to all participants for the inspiration, ideas, and genuine discussions,” summarized Oleksandr Spivakovskiy.

                                                                  Press Center of Kherson State University