The General Director of All-Russian scientific-research institute of aviation materials (VIAM), academician of RAS Evgeny N.Kablov participated in the meeting of the Council for Science and Education under the President where the issues of engineer education and qualifications of it and training of technical specialists were discussed.
The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir V. Putin held the meeting.
The head of the state noted in his report « the countries that can create breakthrough technologies and form their own powerful production facilities on their basis become the leaders of global development». He also noted that the quality of engineer personnel plays a key part in competitiveness of the state and also the basis for its technological and economic independence.
According to Vladimir Putin it is necessary to pay special attention to directions which will determine the new technological mode. «This is robotic technology, manufacture of new materials, biotechnologies, preventive and personal medicine, engineering and design» the head of the state stressed.
«We have taken a number of steps over recent years to strengthen home engineering schools. National research universities that oriented on training of modern technical personnel were established» - Vladimir Putin stressed. «We have succeeded in raising the level of training of specialists, including in such critically important sectors as aviation, nuclear, automotive industry, metallurgy, and energy-machine building» he added.
According to the opinion of the President of Russia, the home system of technical education have to be directed at training of the engineers, whose skills and qualification meet the requirements and needs of institutions. «These are not only chief engineers and researchers moving towards new technological solutions, but also the so called line engineers, the very people who hold the profession as it is», he clarified.
Talking about training of future engineers, Vladimir Putin mentioned «it is necessary to change the very structure of educational process in technical universities». According to his opinion it is necessary to stress on practice, and more actively to invite leading scientists and practitioners from abroad to teach at our technical departments. «Future engineers should be taught not only by researchers, but practitioners as well», – the head of state stressed.
Speaking at the Council, Evgeny Kablov told about the developed in VIAM system of training of qualified personnel. According to him the system consists of four sections: school, university, postgraduate, thesis defense. "The final stage of the formation of a continuous education system, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Education and Science, was the organization in VIAM in 2014 of Corporate University of Materials Science", - he pointed out, adding that "this is the first experience, when in order to enhance connection between education and production, science, an university creates on based state research center".
As Evgeny Kablov noted "VIAM propose scheme for the implementation of educational activities in the Corporate University of Materials Science which is based in certain sense on the successful experience of the soviet technical universities". In his opinion, the relation between practical and theoretical studies in technical universities should be 70% to 30%. "In the world a better way has not been found yet to consolidate theoretical knowledge than individual practical exercises and production practice with the mandatory protection of these works. All this contributes to the development of systems thinking and student ability to analyze numerous facts and draw the right conclusions, "- he said.
Implementation mechanism of the training activity of Corporate University proposed by VIAM is based definitely on experience of the basic educational system of technical universities successfully realized in the USSR, which has been adapted to modern standarts taking into account the directions of development of materials science both in our country and abroad.
According to the head of VIAM the training activity of Corporate University is aimed at substantial growth of practical and individual studies, adequate work practice with essential improvement of their quality. «The Chinese wisdom became the motto of Corporate University of material science: «Tell me – and I will forget, show me – and I will remember, perhaps, involve me – and I will understand, move aside – and I will act», - Evgeny Kablov has reported.
He also has given some figures. So, in 1998 only 27 people were the share of 2400 employees of VIAM at the age of 35 years. Average age was 61,5, wear and tear was 80 percent, amount of the performed works – 25 millions rubles, the profit was not any. In 2014 the staff of the institute numbers 1905 employees, from them 800 employees are younger than 35 years, average age is 44. From 1998 to 2014 the personnel structure is updated for 85 percent.
However, by opinion of Evgeny Kablov, for training and acquiring of practical skills it is extremely important to possess up-to-date scientific and production capacities. In this connection he stressed, that « VIAM under the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and at the expense of own means managed to renew considerably key assets, to create a modern scientific-industrial infrastructure, but also to build two branches: the climatic Testing Center in Gelendjik and the Scientific and Technological Center on polymer composite materials in Ulyanovsk».
According to him, the basic condition of those qualitative changes in scientific-industrial infrastructure of the institute became a resolution of Vladimir Putin on development of federal programs on materials science. As the result of these programs fulfillment a high readily processable branch of small capacity productions was created. «Only at VIAM 19 productions on output of 210 materials was organized», informed Evgeny Kablov.
He noted also, that «the year of 2013 VIAM completed with the amount of work fulfillment of 4470 million with the gross profit of 450 million roubles and average salary of 86 thousand roubles. Following the Strategy of innovative development of the Russian Federation for the period till 2020, realizing the principle of net interaction with basic institutes in regions, VIAM has concluded agreements of scientific-technical cooperation with 11 regions of Russia, 12 national research and 5 leading universities on development and application of materials of new generation for increasing of innovation potential of regions». « In the frames of these agreements various forms of training, practice and working on probation are stipulated», told Evgeny Kablov. He informed, that « for the period from2010–2013 the total number of those, who went through a course of training, practice and working on probation at VIAM constituted 2522 persons».
In the course of his speech made some proposals. In particular, he called on to optimize a number of universities, dealing with education of engineers, excluding simultaneously a probability of «washing-out» of the profile and specialization of home technical universities. «Optimization should be coordinated with the direction of regions and large integrated structures development», Evgeny Kablov stressed. Besides, by his opinion the Ministry of Education and Science together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other federal bodies of executive power, corporations have to arrange and approve the list of high-technology industrial and scientific institutions, for which it is necessary to stipulate indispensable condition to accept students for going through full-valued, annual industrial training with taking on the staff and payment of wages. «Third, it is necessary to stipulate at universities an increase of a number of individual laboratory and practical studies, keeping the principle «from simple to complicated», claimed Evgeny Kablov.
Summing up, General director of VIAM noted, that now « it is necessary to revive a fashion for intellect and acquiring new knowledge as the basis for future professional career advance in the interests of economics development of Russia».« I would like as a confirmation to remind an expression of Leonardo da Vinchi, the great engineer: «Who knows, can do. If only to get a knowledge – and we’ll have wings!». These words have to become the motto of modern youth to be able to conquer new heights of science and engineering », concluded Evgeny Kablov.
REFERENCE
The Council for Science and Education is the consultative body under the President of RF. It was founded by Vladimir Putin in 2001 and was named at that time as the Council for Science and High Technologies. From July 2012 it is named as at present, in October 2013 the new staff of this structure was approved.
Its main tasks are a preparation of proposals to the head of the state on determination of priority directions and mechanisms of science and education development in the country and also measures, directed for realization of the state policy in the field of science and technologies; consideration of issues, related to awarding of State prizes of RF in the field of science and technologies, prizes of the President in the field of science and innovations for young scientists.
The Council is headed by the President of RF Vladimir Putin; Andrew Fursenko, the assistant of the RF President and Vladimir Fortov, the president of RAS are deputies of the head of the Council.