The Future of Higher Education: On the Path to Development

I sincerely believe that universities are full-fledged development institutions for each region, capable of solving a complex range of tasks. First, they provide personnel for students in the Far East, where 142,000 new jobs have been created, by preparing specialists with the necessary qualifications at the right time. We also link the labour market of all enterprises and create pathways for students who are studying in the region — Elvira Nurgalieva, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

The Governor of Kamchatka Vladimir Solodov often says that for him, the university is an institution of development, and we view the university in the same way. Of the 1,500 graduates each year, more than half still leave to enrol at universities on the mainland. However, those who remain and those who come are the very students whose numbers should increase, they are our intellectual capital — Aleksandra Lebedeva, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kamchatka Territory.

To develop the regional economy properly, it is essential to clearly understand its needs. <...> Firstly, a proper database is needed to identify the technological demands of the region and train specialists accordingly. Why can this be done here? Because no one from the central regions of Russia, especially from Central Russia, will come here to work — Yury Kulchin, Chairman, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

We have observed that educational migration accounts for the largest share of migration in the Far East. People leave the Far East because they do not have access to quality higher education. Parents often follow their children — Elvira Nurgalieva, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

I do not see a willingness from local businesses, particularly in Kamchatka, to invest in higher education and science, despite a law on preferential tax treatment for companies investing in education having been in place for two years. So far, no one is queuing up, which is surprising. <...> Meanwhile, we know that research and educational programmes are being commissioned, but on the mainland. There is a need to make local higher education and science attractive so that businesses understand their importance and benefit — Aleksandra Lebedeva, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kamchatka Territory.

Medical universities currently fulfil a significant proportion of government mandates, primarily for targeted students. However, responsibility for the admission and attraction of these students rests entirely with the universities, which is not correct. Regions should also be involved, and I believe that directing and filling target admission quotas should be a performance indicator for regional health ministers — Valentin Shumatov, Rector, Pacific State Medical University.

University infrastructure, especially dormitories, limits our growth. While we can plan the academic process until 20:00, the shortage of dormitory spaces restricts student intake. This year, we even limited the admission of international students — Valentin Shumatov, Rector, Pacific State Medical University.

We launched the ‘Priority 2030’ programme for the Far East, with 12 universities successfully participating. <... > Now, all 12 universities have development programmes that align fully with the development strategy of both individual regions and the macro-region. This covers logistics, medicine, education, industry, and construction. Each university knows its role in economic development and its contribution to workforce provision — Elvira Nurgalieva, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

We have united around the university in a consortium, highlighting the alliance of government, business, and education. With this consortium, we joined the ‘Priority 2030’ programme. <...> A flagship programme has been developed in collaboration with Highland Gold, a mining company that requested a programme to train talented engineers. They know exactly what specialists they need and are ready to provide resources for this purpose — Oksana Martynenko, Rector, Transbaikal State University.

For universities, it is crucial to receive support in expanding their material and technical base, carrying out repairs, and so forth. But even more important is ensuring access to the innovative technologies used by modern enterprises — Mikhail Salkov, Director of Human Resources, GRK Bystrinskoye.

Employers have requested that the proportion of practical training be increased to 15%, with some practical training now conducted directly at enterprises. Programmes are tailored to the needs of industrial partners. <...> This guarantees that students will return to the companies that invest in their training — Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

At some point, the SAP company, which has since left the country, proposed an interesting approach that can be adapted for other corporations. We are currently implementing this practice – coursework and dissertation topics can be proposed not only by a university or a student but also by future employers. This approach prepares students for specific professions — Andrey Rempel, General Director, Managing Company Digit Invest.

We entered a competition and, for the second year in a row, have been conducting training sessions across the Far Eastern regions, equipping students with basic entrepreneurial skills. The aim is not to cultivate future members of the Forbes club, but to make students more competitive in the real economy of the Far East, encouraging them to be enterprising and capable of effecting change in their regions — Yury Marfin, Rector, Pacific State University.