The International Autumn School "Modern Mining Technologies" has come to an end at the St. Petersburg Mining University, where 70 students and teachers from the Chinese University of Mining Engineering and Technology (CUMT) improved their profile competences. The friendly country is eager to adopt Russia's rich experience in mining.
It is well known that in China higher education is more than a working social lift. Studying at university is so important and valuable there that when meeting someone, they name their alma mater right after their name and age. A business card that says more about a person than a Brioni suit or a luxury car. Today in the Celestial Empire, due to the huge number of graduates, there is a huge surplus of specialists on the labour market, and only the best of the best get jobs. In this competition, not only university diplomas but also certificates of completion of various additional educational programmes become important. It is desirable that these programmes are developed by reputable universities, and even better - international ones.
"There is a perception that the entire Chinese education system is built on enormous workloads, the highest competition and the dropping out of weaker students. And although the truly catastrophic workloads that were common in secondary schools five or six years ago are now strictly prohibited at the national government level, in universities young people who want to change their lives through study are forced to work extremely hard. As the saying goes, water does not flow under the lying stone. It is extremely difficult to get high results in terms of academic performance in a highly ranked university. This situation is typical not only for China, but also for Korea, Japan and Thailand. Students usually come to classes at 08:00 and finish their studies at 21:00. The situation on the labour market is similar. Two trends are at work here. The first is that students are seeking to gain parallel knowledge. This may not affect immediately, but in years to come, when the competition will be no less fierce, workers of the same year of study will have undoubted advantages. In addition, the fear factor of a crowded market is often relevant. And the student wants to extend his or her university studies as much as possible, for example, through Phd doctoral studies," says Xiaowei Feng, associate professor at the Faculty of Mining Engineering and Technology, China University of Mining Engineering and Technology.
"We were surprised that Russian students have no classes on weekends. This is an extremely rare occurrence for CUMT. Of course, we value work-life balance, but to be outstanding in a country of 1.6 billion people, our students had to get used to working overtime," said Yinan Zhang, a graduate student at CUMT's School of Security Engineering.
The Modern Mining Technologies educational programme at Russia's oldest technical university covers such topics as underground development of reservoir deposits, risk analysis in mine design, digitalisation of the mining industry, modern trends in mining safety and mineral processing technology in the form of lectures and practical classes.
"It was an incredibly informative course that made a lasting impression on me. For example, at the Digital Technology Centre of the Mining University, I gained extensive knowledge in the field of engineering modelling. While training on simulators in the BELAZ laboratory, I was amazed by the innovative approach to vehicle operation demonstrated. The unique experience gained by students at the Centre makes the educational process at Gorny very different from our university in China, so I would love to come to Russia to study for a longer period of time if possible. In today's world, engineering modelling training is of immense value to future engineers as it allows us to actively adapt to the challenges ahead and removes the potential discomfort and fear that any aspiring professional may face. I myself come from a province with huge coal reserves, and in the future I would like to return to work in my hometown, as I am convinced that mining plays a crucial role in ensuring the country's energy security. The skills I have learnt in Russia certainly contribute to my continuing education and professional development," concluded student Xinrui Wang.
"This programme allowed me to see the importance of practical exercises in the learning process, something that is clearly lacking in Chinese education, which is focused on theory. I was most impressed by the digital simulators, where students can immerse themselves in the world of construction machinery and learn how to operate all the main types of mining machines in a completely safe format. In addition, I gained a lot of interesting knowledge during a trip to the "Smart Labour" training ground of St. Petersburg University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, where, in addition to physical training objects, computer VR-technologies are actively used in training. There I saw the most realistic examples of safety violations, where various modelled situations clearly explain all the risk factors and possibilities of their prevention. Industrial safety is my major field of study, so I plan to actively use the information I received in all aspects of my future work," said Qin Dongzi, a student of the Chinese university.
The relevance and timeliness of such a programme for CUMT students was emphasised by the visiting professors of the Chinese university. According to them, today many mines in China are developing the 5G face without human participation. Annual coal production at some enterprises can reach 20 million tonnes with the number of employees not more than 1000 people.
"One open-pit mine I visited in 2020 had more than 20 coal haulage trucks that were not driven by humans. The vehicles were independently building a route, moving around and assessing the strategy for working in the face. Chinese coal mining faces the most challenging geological barriers in the world - high temperature, ground pressure and great depth. These are the three major challenges we face and we are trying our best to solve them. We have advanced gas production technology, production control technology, hydraulic fracturing technology and the like. However, at the same time, one of the shortcomings of modern Chinese higher education is still the fact that students have a poor understanding of software, especially programming. As far as I can tell, Russian young people are much more IT savvy in comparison, which is actually very important for the career development of engineers in the long term," emphasised Xiaowei Feng, Associate Professor at China University of Mining Engineering and Technology.
Undoubtedly, the Modern Mining Technologies project is not only interesting for future machine builders and production safety specialists.
"My speciality is mineral processing technology, so I paid close attention to the lectures on this very topic. In a fortnight I managed to acquire knowledge that I could not get at my university before - I learnt how to classify solid waste by toxicity, studied methods of solid waste utilisation, learned how to treat waste during mineral processing, especially during the liquidation of tailings ponds. In the future, this information will be useful to me both in my studies and work," said CUMT student Jiao Fen.
Based on the results of the educational programme, the future mining scientists received certificates of the established sample on obtaining additional competence.
Vladimir Litvinenko, Rector of St. Petersburg Mining University, addressed the project participants and emphasised in his speech the importance of scientific and educational cooperation between Russia and China for the most efficient development of Eurasia's mineral resources.
Taking into account that for the majority of young people this trip was their first visit to our country, a perfect completion of the autumn school was acquaintance with Russian culture and the sights of St. Petersburg. According to the representatives of the Celestial Empire, coming to the city on the Neva River, they found the most eloquent confirmation of the "deep friendship between our states".
"The atmosphere here is very warm. We greet strangers on the streets and they send their smiles back. This is one of the best cities in Europe to visit!", - shared the emotions of CUMT students.