May 24, 2013. The All-Russian Research-to-Practice conference called Vocational Education for Workers. History, Modernity, and Future Prospects took place at Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Enterprise’s head plant in Nizhniy Tagil, the corporation’s press service reports.

The conference participants joined a number of round table discussions and said Russia was now facing some problems that hindered the efficient interaction between the industrial enterprises and educational establishments in terms of adequate employee training. The participants decided that a focus should be on the ongoing vocational education system reform, design and introduction of professional standards, qualification and certification systems, consistent monitoring of how the educational establishments cooperate with different structures, and creating a system for assessing the industry’s need for a certain number of skilled workers.

For one, the conference attendees decided to promote the college and vocational school graduates internships at industrial enterprises and work on the development of partnerships between educational establishments and businesses. It was also thought necessary to give more job counseling to school students as well as introduce some elements of it into the kindergarten-school-college chain, as is already being done at Uralvagonzavod. To make sure new workers stay with the companies, a special mortgage-facilitation system is needed (that is, an interest rate based on the job performance).