In recent years, Ukraine has excelled in the IT industry and become a sought after country for outsourcing. Its rate of growth is five times faster than the global average!
While placing itself right behind Ukraine’s capital, Lviv is attracting more and more foreign investment. This article is going to provide detail into the advantages and opportunities your IT business can find in Lviv.
Specifications of the ITmarket in Lviv
General
Lviv is known as the IT capital of Ukraine. Over the last three years, there has been a 28% growth in the IT industry-per year. More than 20,000 IT specialists live in work in Lviv, approximately 13% of the whole of Ukraine’s developers.
There are over 317 local tech companies, including half of Ukraine’s top 50 IT companies. Two significant companies are Siemens and Oracle. There is also an impressive number of home-grown international outsourcing companies; not forgetting the vast range of startups.
Infrastructure
Lviv may not offer as many direct flights as the country’s capital airport but you can still get a direct flight to 15 countries. European destinations include Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The profile of an ITspecialist in Lviv
It’s pleasing to see that Lviv has the highest percentage of female developers in the IT industry, in Ukraine. 29 percent of local tech specialists are women, 4.1% higher than the country’s average.
The average age of anIT specialist in Lviv is 28. Over 75% have obtained a master’s degree.
Salaries
Across the IT industry, It specialists earn about the same as the national average, however, develops are some of the highest-paid. Only in the capital are developers paid more.
Lviv IT Communities
The largest ITcommunity is the Lviv IT Cluster. It consists of more than 80 tech companiesand over 15,000 IT professionals. They work together with 5 universities andLviv City Council to promote IT.
Their projects includeIT House, IT Expert, IT Future, IT challenge (computer coding competition forkids), and Lviv IT Jazz. IT Park is an impressive complex with businesscentres, university campus, libraries, tech labs, a nursery, and shopping mall.
While Lviv IT Clusteris the largest, there are others that play a significant role, like LvivStartup Club and Lviv PM Community.
Lviv Tech events
The annual conference,Lviv IT Arena is one of the biggest events in Ukraine with guest speakers fromMicrosoft, FitBit, IBM and many more. It began in 2014 and just four yearslater there were over 3300 participants.
Other annual eventsare GameDev Conference with over 500 GameDev studios, designers, indiedevelopers, and 40 experts from the gaming industry, along with AI & Big Data Day and Lviv OutSourcingForum.
Further Education
Lviv is home to 11 universities. They offer bachelor’s and mater’s degrees in digital tech services. 5000 IT experts will graduate from these institutions. Here are some of the fundamental facts.
Lviv Polytechnic National University:
- The oldesthigher education establishment in Ukraine
- 2 institutesdedicate to IT and computer science
- 350+academic personnel
- Degreesavailable in everything from publishing & printing to cybersecurity
- Averagesalary of graduates- $2341
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv:
- One of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe
- Two IT orientated faculties, the Faculty of Electronics and Computer technologies has 6 departments and 18 labs
- Students can graduate in anything from micro-and nanotechnology to applied mathematics
Ukranian Catholic University:
- Re-established in 1994 as an Applied Science Faculty
- Ranked first in 2019 for most-recommended higher education institute for IT
- Offers computer science and IT & Business Analytics plus a 2-year master’s degree
IT STEP University:
- Established in 2016
- The first IT university in Ukraine
- Degrees available in Software Development to IoT
- Master’s programs in Data Science to AI
- Certifications in Microsoft, Google, AutoDesk, Cisco, and Oracle
If you would prefer to take courses rather than degrees there are places that offer Web and Mobile App development, NI/UX, QA, coding for kids, Front-end & Back-end Development, 3D modeling, you name it! Places to look out for are:
- Lviv IT School
- SoftServe IT Academy
- Logos IT Academy
Workspaces
Each workspace in Lviv has unique aspects and really it is down to personal preference but here are three important locations:
- CoMMuna- pay per hour and all is included, PC’s games, books, drinks, and cookies.
- Startup Depot- open 24/7, there are meeting rooms, areas for games and sports, a kitchen, and a library.
- ITEA Hub- with an event space for up to 150, they often hold IT workshops and meetups.
A Summary of the IT Industryin Lviv
If you can sum up all of the advantages into three main benefits they would be:
- An IT sector that is strong and keen on investing back into the IT industry
- A government that takes an interest in the IT community, and supports initiatives to attract foreign investors
- An IT culture that is booming with professional events