From 18 to 20 June 2025, the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme, ‘Support to Multi-Level Governance in Ukraine’, held an ‘Effective Leader of the ASC’ training session for heads of administrative service centres from the Mykolaiv region, in Mykolaiv. The training session brought together heads of ASCs from 19 communities.

The training was part of a broader Polaris Programme and Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine initiative to provide model support to ASCs at the regional level. The Rivne and Mykolaiv regions have already joined this initiative.

The initiative aims to support communities that are in the early stages of establishing ASCs, as well as those with existing centres seeking to increase efficiency, expand their range of services, and improve service quality. It includes an assessment of service quality and the creation of development roadmaps. These tools will help to improve services, expand digital capabilities, and make administrative services more accessible.

Viacheslav Bazarenko, Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalisation (CDTO), welcomed the training participants and emphasised that this event lays the groundwork for the further professional development of ASC leaders:

‘This training is more than just training; it is the foundation for regular future meetings, dialogue and team building. The Mykolaiv region has strong digitalisation potential: we have talented people, strong ideas, and effective solutions. The foundations on which we build our common future are communication, openness, and trust.’

During the three-day offline session, participants focused on developing their managerial skills and learning modern approaches to organising ASCs. They also worked on strengthening teamwork and personal effectiveness. Key topics included leadership in the context of transformation, digital innovation, time management, building a strong team, effective communication and algorithms for implementing changes.

During the training, we worked on developing the leadership skills of ASC leaders and created a space for them to interact with each other. It is important that managers within the region feel part of a single team and share successful practices,’ said Petro Makarenko, Polaris expert on accessibility of administrative services, outlining the goals of the event.

The training programme combined theoretical knowledge with practical tools. Particular emphasis was placed on developing managerial decision-making skills, analysing daily work processes, and adapting to changes in public administration.

The training participants will continue to work in the ‘Lab of Changes’ format, applying the knowledge they have gained to overcome current challenges and improve the work of ASCs in their communities.