The past academic year at St. Petersburg Mining University, which is currently implementing a pilot project to improve the system of engineering education according to the decree of the President of Russia, has aroused great interest among academics. In addition, there is concern about how the training of engineering personnel will be organized in the near future for domestic companies, applicants, parents, and the entire country, as Russia will switch from two-tier education to new standards starting in 2026.
The main goal of the project is to increase training time, including practical work experience in production. In Gorny, up to 50 weeks are allocated for this purpose. Of these, at least 12 weeks will be spent on basic introductory courses and technological practices after the first and second year, and at least 38 weeks on technological and pre-graduate practices after the third, fourth and fifth year, as well as working as a "Trainee Engineer" in companies.
This year, more than 3,200 people completed practical training at the country's first technical university, and more than 3,300 completed educational, technological, and introductory training. "Outpost" wanted to tell you more about this.
Previously, the tour was straightforward. Now, the process has been organized in the form of a traditional summer school, and along with the length of the internships, their internal structure has also been changing.
The main difference is that until recently, our interaction with partner organizations was limited to formally referring students for internships. Often, young people were looking for their own internship opportunities. Today, we have entered into academic partnership agreements with companies. These agreements provide for full involvement of the company in the training of future engineers. A pool of production mentors has been formed, who directly manage students in the company's facilities. Thus, the company is actively participating in the training of its own personnel.
In addition to actively helping interns acquire production skills, the company provides them with accommodation, meals, internal transportation, work clothes, and personal protective equipment.
As part of the summer school, students master three modules in turn: "Production", "Speciality" and "General Professional". The first module is a week-long field trip to enterprises located in Russia and Belarus.
During the "Specialty" training, students under the guidance of a pedagogical mentor from their department visit enterprises in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. They listen to lectures given by leading specialists in the field and perform tasks related to their specialty.
As part of the "General Professional" training, students take three one-day modules: Economics, Science, Digital Technologies and Energy Conservation. Each includes a lecture given by a leading expert in the field and the execution of an express case on it.
However, the interns themselves can best tell you about their experiences.
For example, two groups from the Information Systems and Technologies training course visited the Minsk Tractor Plant, an academic partner of the Mining University.
«A week spent at one of the largest industrial enterprises in Belarus significantly expanded my understanding of the organization of modern production and the use of advanced technologies in the real sector of the economy. We were introduced to samples of tractor equipment and the plant's infrastructure. From the first minutes, I was impressed by the scale and technological equipment of the plant. I had the opportunity to visit a blacksmith shop, foundry, and mechanical assembly shop. It was particularly interesting to observe the operation of robotic lines in the welding and painting areas, where high-precision manipulators carried out complex operations at incredible speed and precision.», - said ofia Saitova, a student.
As admitted by the students later, it was the first time they all found themselves at such a large factory.
«The visit to MTZ has helped me to understand the current state of mechanical engineering. Thanks to modern technologies, such as automation and computer-aided design systems, high productivity can be achieved with relatively low labor costs.», – Alexey Sapronenkov shared his impressions
Future environmental engineers studying the field of environmental engineering visited the complex of enterprises belonging to the PhosAgro holding company in the Murmansk region.
«The practice in Kirovsk at the JSC Apatit CF was one of the most memorable events of my academic year. During the week, I had the opportunity to visit the ANOF-2 and ANOF-3 apatite-nepheline factories, where I learned in detail about each stage of the enrichment of apatite and nepheline ores. As an ecologist, I was particularly interested in emissions, waste, and the recycling of water, and therefore the visit to the tailings dumps was especially memorable. There, I learned about dusting problems and various methods to solve them. At the Vostochny and Kirovsky mines, I also learned about how to reclaim waste, purify water used in production, and ensure safety in underground operations. Through this practice, I realized that I had not made a mistake in choosing my field of study, and I understood the importance of it for both the proper functioning of production processes and environmental protection.», - Lolita Pinchuk said.
First-year students enrolled in the program "Automation of Technological Processes and Productions in the Mining Industry" visited the St. Petersburg-based company "REEVES", which provides BIM design services for metallurgical and processing plants, creating information models of various structures.
There, students wearing VR helmets explored projects from companies developed by the organization. They literally "walked around" a factory that was still in the creation phase, immersed in its digital information model.
«BIM design allows for a significant reduction in the number of potential collisions, a shorter start-up time for the enterprise, and improved interaction between customers and designers. This technology represents a step towards creating fully digital counterparts to physical enterprises. During my first block of practical training, I visited CF Apatit JSC and can now say with confidence that the model created by REEVES using BIM technology closely resembles reality in many ways. This is truly remarkable!» – Rodion Chernok said.
At Segnetics LLC, a group of people (APG-23) became familiar with the development and production of PLCs - programmable logic controllers. This company's equipment is used at facilities such as the Obukhov Plant and the Gazprom Arena stadium.
The students studied the stages of the PLC board production line and reviewed a demonstration project - an automatic ventilation, climate, and lighting control system. They also learned about a control cabinet device and a ventilation system that was equipped with a set of sensors and actuators needed to create an automatic system.
«During the training and familiarization period, we had the unique opportunity to visit nine enterprises at once. We were able to see all stages of creating automatic control systems, from the production of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and sensors to the development of project documentation. In other words, we saw all aspects of our field. This was all in the first year of our training! In the future, each of us can choose and focus on an area that interests us more during our studies at university.» - Egor Marisov said.
Gazprom Interregional-gas Engineering has accepted students under the specialization of "Automated information processing and management systems".
«Visiting this company was a true revelation for our practice. We toured the office, where we heard inspiring stories from employees about their journey: how they began at Gazprom, how their careers developed, and who they became as a result. Most speakers said that in the beginning, information was gathered manually, which required them to travel all over the country. However, over the past decade, Gazprom focused on automation, making the work of many professionals easier. For most implementations, it has developed its own software, IUSCIFRA. The visit to the company not only provided valuable learning opportunities, but it also inspired me to continue studying and developing in the IT field.», - Pavel Sobolev said.
The students learned about the methods of automating business processes used by Gazprom Interregional-gas Engineering. They also studied the operation of gas equipment and metering devices. The students visited the scientific and educational center, where they were able to take advanced training courses and participate in research projects in the fields of geology, geophysics, and engineering technologies.
An excursion for students studying in the field of Engineering Ecology was held at the site of State Unitary Enterprise "Ecostroy", one of the largest environmental protection companies. The young people visited a workshop for the recycling of office equipment and a complex for neutralizing mercury-containing products. They were able to observe the entire process of hazardous waste disposal using specialized equipment.
A number of students have completed internships at educational facilities of the Mining University. Geologists, for example, have gone to the educational and scientific base in Crimea, while geophysicists have mastered the techniques of prospecting and exploring mineral deposits using modern equipment at UB Kavgolovo. In five days, they were able to familiarize themselves with radiometry, magnetometry, symmetric electrical profiling, vertical sensing, and geolocation.
«We were most looking forward to the trip to Kavgolovo, as it is there where the block on geophysics is held, which is our main specialty. First and foremost, it was necessary to carry out a picket line marking of the profile in order to later take pictures of it. I found the GPR method to be the most interesting, as each team received the survey results in the form of a profile, which we then had to interpret. This information was the most visually appealing to study. I would be happy if in the future it would be possible to extend the number of days allocated for the production unit, as this is a really important part of the learning process for students.», - Pavel Razuvaev said.
Future chemical technologists from various universities attended the summer school "My Specialty" in Cherepovets, Russia. The week-long program included visits to several industrial enterprises, as well as a tour of the Museum of Metallurgical Industry and an interactive educational center called "Green Planet".
«At PJSC Severstal, we learned about the process of obtaining iron from coke and agglomerate, as well as visited the company's production laboratories: metal science and recycling of secondary resources. In the first laboratory, we were told about the methods of metal analysis and were able to see them in action. In the second laboratory, we saw the equipment that is used to streamline production. For example, to obtain enriched ore, the source material goes through a crushing plant, a mill, a magnetic separator, and then turns into concentrate pellets. This helps to minimize energy costs in further production and increases the concentration of useful substances by removing waste rock. Despite my training profile being in chemical technology of inorganic substances, I believe knowledge of metallurgy is also important. The summer school allowed me to see that engineers need to have knowledge from different areas of production.», - Anastasia Morugova said.
During the tour of Apatit JSC (Cherepovets branch of PhosAgro), students learned about the production of phosphoric and sulfuric acids, ammonia, and ammonium nitrate. They also inspected the nitrogen complex.
Over the past educational and introductory practice, students have gained an idea of their future specialty, strengthened their confidence in the correctness of its choice, or thought about changing it, which allows them to make a pilot project.
«During our internship in the Murmansk region, we visited mining facilities, a quarry and a mine, as well as two nepheline-apatite factories. We have learned many aspects of the work of enterprises. I am very grateful for this experience, as it helped me understand that I want to change my specialty and work directly in the workshop or in the mine, so maybe after the second year I will try to transfer to another direction», - Pavel Kozhin said.
By the way, the main issue caused by the presidential decree has also been picked up by the secondary education system. From September 1, the subject of "labor" will be returned to Russian schools as a compulsory subject. Robotics, 3D modeling, material processing technologies, production units, and a number of other modules will be integrated into one discipline. The country needs engineers, and the basis for interest in this profession is being laid here. The synergy of "school-university-enterprise" is essential for preparing a personnel reserve for the industry. It is encouraging that the state and higher education in Russia have begun addressing this serious issue.
"Exercise gives more than just a good natural talent," argued Protagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of sophistry, back in the 4th century BC. He placed experience above talent when it comes to success.
