One of the conceptual features of the process of modernization of higher technical education in Russia is a sharp increase in the time allocated for industrial practice. Whereas in the case of bachelors it is conducted only once during the entire period of study, at the end of the third year, for two to three weeks, the modified curricula envision an increase in its duration to a total of 10 months.
Employers have fully endorsed this decision. All of them unanimously stated that this approach is absolutely reasonable, because "the experience of working at an enterprise as a trainee noticeably reduces the adaptation time of young specialists and motivates them to work in the real sector of the economy". Moreover, this opinion was expressed by both top managers of flagship domestic companies and managers of relatively small plants.
They also noted one more positive factor: Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, where the process of improving the system of engineering training is in full swing, has a large arsenal of various simulators. In other words, its students obtained certain industrial experience in their first year of study without leaving the walls of their alma mater.
For example, representatives of the Oil and Gas Faculty of Mining University can do so in the "Offshore Drilling" training and simulator complex created jointly with Novatek. Augmented and virtual reality technologies simulate an operating field, and a special program sets working conditions, alternating both regular and abnormal situations.
"We try to create a comfortable environment favorable for receiving quality education. This is not just aesthetically decorated corridors, halls and classrooms, but also a serious instrument and laboratory base. This includes virtual or augmented reality simulators, which have long been an integral part of our educational programs. Today, the change of technologies in industry is no longer once a generation, as it was in the twentieth century, but much faster. Therefore, if the university does not develop its infrastructure, follow the progress in the industry and purchase advanced equipment, it simply will not be able to train good, competitive specialists," emphasized Rector Vladimir Litvinenko.
Training on simulators starts already in the first year of training. They are told about the nuances of digital transformation of the mining and oil and gas sectors, familiarize them with the capabilities of simulators, and teach them how to use them. For example, in the laboratory of 3D visualization of oil and gas field objects, junior students, wearing VR-glasses, practice such relatively simple operations as starting a well or taking samples to determine the composition of liquid hydrocarbons. In real conditions, this is necessary to increase the profitability of the production process. For example, if high paraffin content is detected in the oil, effective measures should be developed to combat it, such as the use of a heating cable.
Nikita Ukolov, a fourth-year oil and gas student, said that well equipment differs from field to field, and its appearance and characteristics depend primarily on the year in which the deposits began production. That is, the program may well not be an exact copy of what the young men and women will see later during their practical training. Nevertheless, the principles on which the field is built are roughly the same everywhere. Therefore, the opportunity to try your hand first in the virtual space is, of course, worth a lot.
"No one is immune to mistakes, so it will be much better if you make them during simulator lessons. Teachers will tell you what you did wrong and why. Having such experience, and I know it firsthand, you will definitely feel much more confident when working with real equipment. And that's a huge plus. Another advantage is that we took a course for oil and gas production operators in Gorny, and we were awarded certificates of competence (in parallel, on weekends, training is held at a real drilling site in Sablino - ed.). Such a document will be very important for future employment. This, by the way, is well understood not only by me, but also by some of my friends from other universities who obtained it on the side, for money. The whole point is that the institutions of higher education where they study simply do not have such infrastructural opportunities as in our university," said Nikita Ukolov.
In two other training and simulator complexes operating at Mining University, students can familiarize themselves with the remote control system of the mining transportation complex, learn how to drive dump trucks and other equipment, and study aspects of the operation of various machine components and parts. It goes without saying that none of them is likely to drive a BELAZ or Caterpillara after graduation. It is not necessary to obtain higher education for this purpose. However, some guys who study at the mining or mechanical engineering faculties may well become engineers responsible for the efficiency of operation of the vehicle fleet of some mining enterprise. And in this case, of course, they need to understand what components the property entrusted to them consists of and what is the limit of its durability.
However, the doors of the Competence Centers, where you can virtually re-train as a driver of a giant truck, drive along the narrow serpentine of a mine and carry out loading and unloading operations, are open to all students, regardless of the direction of their training. A visit to these structural units in the first year is part of the mandatory program of familiarization with the material base of the oldest technical university in Russia, as well as a starting point for those students who dream of designing such complexes themselves.
"I first visited Mining University last year, when I was still at school. I came to one of the Open Days, looked at these simulators and immediately realized that I wanted to study here. I plan to spend my career creating or improving such simulators so that young people or current employees of mining companies can hone their driving skills on them. And maybe even flying, because improving the quality of airplane control simulators is also a highly demanded and interesting vector of work," said Igor Fokin, a first-year student. He came to St. Petersburg from Samara, and now studies in the specialty "Automation of Technical Processes and Productions".
Virtual simulators play a special role in reforming the system of higher technical education. In addition to preparation for practical training, which is now much longer in terms of time and rich in content, they also allow young people to obtain additional professional competencies. Mining University has developed over 260 such programs in various areas of training. In essence, they are elective programs, from which young people have to choose eight compulsory ones at their own will. Naturally, they should be attended not at one time, but one after another, during the whole period of training.
For example, future oilmen can get a certificate as a hydrocarbon production operator, as Nikita Ukolov did, or as a drilling rig operator. And students of the mechanical engineering faculty - bulldozer or dump truck operator. Mastering these working professions, which, by the way, are highly demanded by business, and many other professional competencies, is directly related to the use of VR-technologies, which are becoming more and more firmly integrated into our lives every year.
