Page 51 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #37
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Anton Krushelnitsky,
                                                             Director General at Arkhangelsk Fleet
                                                             Repair and Maintenance Base:
                                                             The current vocational education system
                                                          has a huge gap between theoretical training
                                                          and practice. Students visit industries only
                                                          rarely as the curricula offer only limited op-
                                                          portunities for on-site tours. This means that
                                                          employers have to do the practical teaching
                                                          themselves. These are the employers who are
                                                          looking to fill in this gap in the first place. Ne-
                                                          gotiations are currently in process between
                                                          S. N. Oreshkov Arkhangelsk College of Wa-
                                                          terways and Arkhangelsk Fleet Repair and
                                                          Maintenance Base to use the latter as a host
                                                          for on-site training. Hopefully, this can help to
                                                          improve students’ hands-on skills. But, there is
                                                          another problem: we don’t have enough young
                                                          people to fill job shortage. The average age of
             Arkhangelsk Oblast is currently working on its   our own employees is forty plus. We need more
          workforce strategy. The strategy relies, among oth-  welders, assemblers, turners. Finding a replace-
          er things, on labor market analysis and may lead to   ment for retired employees is, indeed, a prob-
          changes in the area’s actual demand in certain occu-  lem. While earlier, when the Soviet Union was
          pational qualifications and vocational training frame-  channeling its propaganda efforts into promot-
          works.                                          ing the working jobs, people did know their
             “The first steps towards the improved industri-  importance, the young people of today choose
          al personnel are already being taken – through the   to be bloggers or live off passive income in-
          collaborative effort of the industries, the government   stead of doing some real work. Arkhangelsk
          and the education providers,” says Marina Simakina,   is a maritime city. But do its younger genera-
          Director for Learning Support at Arkhangelsk Voca-  tions actually know about its shipbuilding and
          tional School of Construction and Economics. “Be-  marine industry? This is an endemic problem
          ginning on September 1, 2021, my school delivers a   that needs to be brought up at the government
          program in dock engineering. Its theoretical courses   level and education as a system. People should   SOZVEZDYE #37
          alternate with work experience and on-site training.   be introduced to working jobs when they are
          Workplace learning is where we need employers’ ma-  school kids. They should be told why working
          terial support most.”                           jobs are important and what level of wages to
             “Now that Arkhangelsk is a major link in the Arc-  expect. There should be proper propaganda in     развитие
          tic supply chain, its ports and terminals have an in-  the media, while industries can be advised to   development
          creased workload and need more crews,” says Sergey   give a greater input to reviving the prestige of
          Smirnov, Director at Sozvezdye Association of Oil   working jobs by organizing on-site tours, in-
          and Gas Suppliers. “It’s essential to have training pro-  viting specialists to deliver the on-site career
          viders prepared to respond to the employers’ actual   guidance classes, and investing in curricula de-
          needs flexibly and promptly. Their cooperation is key   velopment and training centers.                           49
          to the successful development of regional industry.”
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