The representative of Higher School of Economics presented the survey results of employers and employees` interaction and its` effectiveness. Researchers compared demands made by companies with skills obtained by graduate students. It turned out that employers` expectations didn`t correlate with abilities of young specialists. According to Denis Zhuk, head of Business Cooperation Department of ITMO University, this problem comes from a discrepancy between universities` training programs and occupational standards developed by the business area.
The experts came to the conclusion that this problem could be solved by internship programs that immersed students into real business and production projects. Stanislav Kushelev, head of Department of Human Resources Management and Fundraising, mentioned that it was the easiest way for young specialists to gain experience and learn about the peculiarities of the industrial environment.
Currently it is very important for Russian universities to take into account the fact that successful modern experts should be great in several fields. While discussing new requirements for occupations Mr. Kushelev mentioned Atlas of Emerging Jobs developed at Skolkovo. The catalogue of future occupations includes such jobs as urban-ecologist, digital linguist and many others.
Denis Zhuk mentioned that one of the most effective ways of making new contacts was to involve potential employers into educational activities. The experts can join university examination boards as well as give lectures. Some companies support this trend by providing these practices as an integral part of corporate policy.
“During 3-4 years universities should keep contact with companies taking into account the feedbacks about achievements reached by ex-students. Thus it will be easier to analyze our progress and change study programs if it`s necessary,” underlined the expert.
The experts also discussed how the educational programs had to be changed. Currently Master`s and PhD programs become more and more popular because of their flexibility. Furthermore Bachelor degree takes the place of Specialist degree (Bachelor plus one year), which was popular before. The new system gives an opportunity to choose extra disciplines.
“Apart from development of education the universities should organize career days for students, graduate students and even lecturers... At these meeting the representatives of companies will present their field, talk about new trends in HR policy and about the skills necessary for candidates. ITMO University initiates such meetings several times a month. The top companies, leaders in various fields, appreciate our students and take them on after the graduation,” said Dmitry Ruppel, head of Careers Service Center of ITMO University.
Taking part in the meeting, experts exchanged their opinions with each other and also discussed with representatives of the Government the importance of changing the HR system. The officials noted that they were ready to support the cooperation between the business area and higher education institutions.
