From Frontend to AI: The Evolution of IT Education Trends in Ukraine Over the Last 20 Years

SoftServe Academy, one of the leading IT education centers, has summarized the changes in the training directions for Ukrainians over the past two decades. The academy has trained over 36,000 specialists, and based on course demand data, it is possible to observe how technological trends have evolved.
How Was the Research Conducted?
The research is based on data about SoftServe Academy graduates over 20 years. The study examined how demand for technologies changed during the periods of 2005-2020 and 2021-2025, depending on the courses and specializations chosen by the students.
Trends of 2005-2020
From 2005 to 2020, most IT education was focused on supporting corporate systems and creating scalable solutions for large companies. While traditional technologies, such as web frameworks and testing, remained popular, the recent years showed a rapid increase in interest in cloud platforms and AI.
Frontend (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery) was a key direction, with 20% of graduates choosing this course. QC + ATQC (manual testing and automation using Selenium, Java/Python) remained consistently popular, with 17% of graduates. Java and .NET were used for creating enterprise solutions, with 12% and 8% of graduates respectively. Python was popular for automation, with 5% of graduates.
Trends of 2021-2025: New Opportunities and Growth of New Directions
Since 2021, there has been a sharp increase in the popularity of areas related to cloud technologies, JavaScript development, big data processing, and artificial intelligence. The market is changing, moving from stable corporate solutions to more flexible, scalable, and data-driven solutions.
Frontend/Fullstack JS (HTML/CSS/JS, TypeScript, React/Next.js, Node.js, React Native) has become the leading direction, with 29% of graduates in 2021-2025 completing their training in this field. DevOps/Cloud has grown fivefold, reaching 18% of graduates, while Python has become three times more popular, becoming the main tool for Data Science and AI—14%. Java remains relevant, with 13% of graduates choosing this direction. DB & Big Data are also actively growing, with 7% of graduates.
The AI field, which became popular only in 2023, has already shown significant growth and continues to attract students' attention.
Prospects and Future Changes in IT Education
The IT sector continues to evolve, with new roles, tools, and technologies emerging, requiring new approaches to education. The academy is quickly adapting to these changes by updating its curriculum to meet the current market demands.
AI will integrate into other technologies, and while this will simplify solution creation, the demand for qualified specialists will only grow. Technologies, especially AI, will become a catalyst for the entire industry’s development.
SoftServe Academy is continuously updating its courses to meet new demands and provide students with relevant knowledge to build a successful career in IT. Currently, the academy offers over 60 training programs, and last year it trained 4,745 graduates.
About SoftServe Academy
SoftServe Academy is a division of SoftServe that has been training IT professionals for international projects since 2005. The academy offers over 60 programs for various levels, from introductory courses to advanced training programs that meet the current requirements of the IT industry.
About SoftServe
SoftServe is the largest Ukrainian IT company specializing in software development and consulting. The company employs over 11,000 people across 60+ offices worldwide and collaborates with brands such as IBM, Cisco, Panasonic, and others. SoftServe is a partner of Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, NVIDIA, and other major technology companies.