Energetics solve personnel issues in alliance with universities
JSC AlES and KazNRTU n.a. K.I. Satpayev signed a memorandum of mutual cooperation on mutual assistance in the development of training of engineering and technical personnel in demand at production sites of the country, as well as the development of integration of education, science and business.
The parties name the main objectives of the partnership as: promotion and popularization of educational and scientific community, joint development of educational programmes, organization of internships, practical training, as well as granting a preferential right to graduates of the university when hiring in JSC AlES.
The issue of training technical personnel for the real sector is relevant for all times. But recently the personnel hunger has become so acute that the head of state has repeatedly addressed this issue, meeting both with young people, with representatives of the education sector, and with business captains.
“In the conditions of the rapid scientific and technological revolution, it is crucial for us to ensure the country’s technological sovereignty for sustainable progress. We must become a nation of engineers, designers, planners, agronomists, programmers”, said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Addressing business and industrialists, he recommended to train young people from auls and suburbs, called on large companies to take patronage over colleges, become members of boards of trustees, take young people for practical training, equip training laboratories and workshops. JSC AlES has been following this path of partnership with technical universities and colleges for not the first year.
– It is important for us that competent, well-trained young people go into the power industry, to such enterprises as ours, says Yerik Mashirov, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC AlES. – It is important for them to understand the specifics of our profession while still studying at university. Therefore, we are ready to cooperate with universities and to jointly develop educational programmes. Now we are revising our approaches to training and training events in the company. This is not only due to the change of generations at our plants – many of our veterans are now retiring – but also due to the big plans to modernize production facilities of AlES. And this requires young technical personnel. For example, modernization has already begun at CHPP-2, and construction work is underway. The station is fundamentally changing the type of production, moving from coal-fired generation to gas-fired generation. This means new equipment and new technologies. In this connection, we recently visited the Ansaldo Energia plant in Genoa. Here they have already started assembling rotors for CHPP-3. This is new equipment, which requires modern specialists trained in new technologies. I would also like to note that our main shareholder, Samruk-Energy JSC, has agreed to open a joint production facility with Ansaldo Energia. Therefore, we would like to open a training centre jointly with the plant and the training centre of Ansaldo Energia. Siemens, whose equipment is already operating at our plants, has also expressed its desire to open a training centre. Therefore, we will attract specialists from both Siemens and Ansaldo Energia and recommend them for co-operation to Satpayev University. Satpayev University.
Within the framework of the visit to the university, the heads of JSC AlES inspected “Laboratory of electric power systems research”, “Laboratory of design and installation of electrical circuits”, earthquake simulator on the mobile platform of KazNRTU and others. Noting the interest in personnel for the energy sector, Yerik Mashirov emphasized the company’s readiness to help with promotional activities aimed at attracting young professionals to the industry.
Meiram Begentayev, Chairman of the Board and Rector of the Kazakh National Research Technical University named after K.I. Satpayev, emphasized the importance of cooperation with industry for the university.
– It is important for us that our students have a quality education. Therefore, we welcome co-operation with you and are ready to provide laboratory facilities for research and support in training, – said Meiram Begentayev. – We are ready to take into account the peculiarities and needs of your company to ensure an effective partnership. For example, for students transferring to us from college, we can facilitate the enrolment process by allowing them to start their pre-college studies right away, minimizing downtime. We are also willing to provide distance learning options to provide convenience for your employees. Our goal is to provide your employees with the quality education and practical skills they need to succeed in their careers.
Meiram Begentaev also offered flexible master’s and doctoral programmes that could be synchronized with the company’s production activities. Thus, during the negotiations, the possibility of pre-doctoral studies for those who do not yet have the necessary skills was discussed, as well as alternative ways to study, including foreign programmes.
– We need production professors, production professors, said Mr. Begentayev. – For example, do you know whether Kanysh Imantaevich Satpayev had a PhD or a doctorate? No one knows, because he had neither a PhD nor a doctorate – he was involved in production. But he discovered the Zhezkazgan field and many other fields. And for this he was awarded the title of professor-academic. It is the same here: if you have built entire factories, put some kind of production process in place, that is enough. Just show that it was done, for example, by such a manager. Even if he doesn’t have languages or other academic knowledge, we don’t care, the main thing is that he knows the production process.
The rector paid special attention to practical work. Such as the creation of an online course of lectures on the production process. These are 10 highly specialized lectures, approximately 15-20 minutes each, which can be studied by students of the core department.
– It is for such cycles that production specialists are given the title of production professor. It is very honorable both in Kazakhstan and in the world, – the scientist stressed. – And they have the right to give lectures. That is why we invite your specialists to give lectures from time to time. Here age, sex are not important – we need production workers very much. It is important for the university that students receive quality knowledge.
The rector promised full support for the partnership in training so that the learning process combined with practice is not interrupted. The memorandum provides for a number of specific formats of co-operation. Including: participation in coordination of topics of term papers, graduate works of students and scientific researches of Satbayev University, taking into account the needs and opportunities of the enterprise; organization of seminars, round tables, conferences; participation in the Job Fair of the university and JSC AlES; carrying out internships and industrial practice of students/graduates; organization and opening of chairs of the university on the basis of the enterprise and many other things.
The parties are confident that this approach will contribute to the formation of a professional core of technical specialists not only for the enterprise, but also for the whole country.