Retraining and Lifelong Learning as an Anti-Crisis Tool: Preserving Ukraine’s Intellectual Capital in Times of War

This paper examines how retraining and lifelong learning can help Ukraine during wartime and in recovery, viewing retraining as a critical way to survive and build peace. It uses a review of studies, a Scopus publication analysis (2014–2025), and examples from countries affected by conflict like the Balkans, Rwanda, and Colombia. The paper looks at how education systems protect human resources when things are unstable. The research involves looking at keyword frequency, international policy reports (from organizations like OECD, UNESCO, World Bank), and Ukrainian economic and educational data. Additionally, a cross-country regression and trend analyses (2014–2024) are conducted using World Bank indicators to measure how education, defence, and literacy interact with the Human Capital Index (HCI) in crisis conditions. The results show that reskilling and upskilling became more important in 2023–2024. The modelling results confirm that higher education expenditure and literacy rates improve human capital, while growing defence costs slightly suppress it. Good practices from other countries include online learning, programs for displaced and low-skilled workers, and different financial aid to support such activities. The paper finds that Ukraine spends less on education than on defense and social support, which could harm long-term resources. The proposed framework emphasises the need for digital learning tools, targeted financial incentives, and collaboration between government, universities, and employers.