A regional Competence Center in the field of mineral resources complex will be opened in Tatarstan. The agreement was signed today by the President of the Republic Rustam Minnikhanov and the rector of St. Petersburg Mining University Vladimir Litvinenko.
Almetyevsk State Petroleum Institute, the supporting higher education institution of Tatneft company, which will take an active part in the creation of the new structure, has been chosen as the site for the regional centre. The agreement was also concluded today, signed on behalf of Tatneft" by CEO Nail Maganov.
Tatarstan expects that the partnership will help strengthen personnel training in mining engineering and organize international certification of specialists. There are also plans for joint research in priority directions of oil and gas sector development. AGNI has high scientific potential and modern infrastructure for such work. And today the President of Tatarstan was able to see the potential of the Mining Institute for himself.
“It’s a unique facility. I don't think there are any like it in the world. The fact that traditions have been preserved and multiplied here is a great asset to our country. This is the future because the mineral sector is the basis of our economy. I am very impressed and we have big plans,” said Rustam Minnikhanov.
The entry into the system of UNESCO institutes opens new prospects for field-specific education in Tatarstan. The main task of the Competence Center in Mining Engineering Education is the standardization of approaches and curricula, as well as certification of graduates, after which their qualifications will be recognized in any country of the world.
Already now on the basis of the centre specialists can obtain the titles of “Professional Mining Engineer” and “Privileged Mining Engineer”, which are awarded by the British Technical Council. Shortly there are plans to certify the title of “UNESCO Professor” for teaching staff. The importance of this work was emphasized by Vladimir Litvinenko, Rector of Mining University, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Competence Center.
“We are extremely interested today in Russia in such specialists who know modern technologies and standards, because we use our natural resources remarkably inefficiently. Even in the thermal cycle, we burn hydrocarbons with an efficiency of 25-30 percent, we extract a maximum of 30 percent of oil from the ground. International practice shows that the efficiency of heat production can be twice as high, and the situation is the same with oil recovery. We have colossal reserves in this matter. Therefore, integration with such entities as Tatarstan will work not only for the development of the industry but also for the global state objectives.”
The International Competence Center for Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO was established on March 7, 2018, when UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak signed an agreement on its establishment at St. Petersburg Mining University at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It is a category 2 institute under the auspices of UNESCO and the National Coordinator for the Development of Science and Training for the Mineral Resources Sector.
Regional centres established on the basis of the International Competence Center are already operating in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, as well as abroad: in Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Finland, China, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Belarus.