The program was started in 2012. Thanks to the growing cultural interest in la petite patrie and the development of new directions of historical research, such as microhistory, regional and local history, history of everyday life, history of mentalities, and others, local subjects are becoming increasingly popular.

Field training in local studies gives every student an opportunity to make a discovery of their own, however small, while the breadth and richness of local history and culture allow everyone to work on individual research topics best suited to their interests. Alternatively, students can participate in the ongoing projects at the P. T. Tronko Center for Local Studies, which hosts this field training program.

Summer training sessions in local studies give students a chance to get better acquainted with the museums, archives, libraries, and historic sites of Sloboda Ukraine and develop practical skills in such areas as the keeping of artifact records and attribution of historical materials.