{
  "id": 2959884,
  "title": "Reputation starts with people: how \"Apteka 9-1-1\" invests in employee professional development",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/reputation-starts-with-people-how-apteka-9-1-1-invests-in-employee",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-24T06:28:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Interfax-Ukraine",
    "slug": "interfax-ukraine",
    "url": "https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/press-release/1195537.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Vladyslava Birchenko, a pharmacy assistant at Apteka 9-1-1, shares how the company's investment in her professional development led her from curious plant enthusiast to aspiring higher education student. Originally from Sloviansk, her interest in pharmacy stems from a desire to help people and contribute to saving lives.\n\nVladyslava began her career at Apteka 9-1-1 as a sales floor administrator, where she learned about the Vyshcha Liha (Higher League) program that offers financial support for professional education. She enrolled at the professional college of the National University of Pharmacy in Kharkiv and recently earned her diploma, becoming a pharmacy assistant.\n\nMore than 700 Apteka 9-1-1 employees are currently studying or upgrading their qualifications through the Vyshcha Liha program, with 180 receiving diplomas this year alone. The company views this investment as both a social initiative and crucial for the pharmaceutical industry's development.\n\nApteka 9-1-1 maintains over 85 memorandums of cooperation with universities and professional colleges, fostering connections between education and employment. Their development strategy includes the UPTEKA: 9-1-1 Development Academy program, which offers onboarding, mentoring, training, and management competency development for employees at all career stages.\n\nVladyslava's journey began as a sales floor administrator, but her professional path now includes the possibility of pursuing higher pharmaceutical education. Her ultimate goal is to advance in her career, gain new knowledge, and open up more opportunities, all while hoping for the end of the war so she can travel and explore the world.",
  "summary": "For Vladyslava Birchenko, a career in pharmacy began with a curiosity about the properties of plants and continued with education, employer support, and a new professional status.",
  "key_points": [
    "Apteka 9-1-1 invests in employee professional development through Vyshcha Liha program",
    "Over 700 employees study or upgrade qualifications annually via program",
    "Company maintains 85 memorandums of cooperation with educational institutions"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Apteka 9-1-1's investment in employee professional development not only boosts staff morale and career prospects but also addresses the pharmaceutical industry's need for skilled workers, setting a model for socially responsible business practices.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Interfax-Ukraine",
        "title": "Reputation starts with people: how \"Apteka 9-1-1\" invests in employee professional development",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/reputation-starts-with-people-how-apteka-9-1-1-invests-in-employee-2966802",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:28:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}