At the Empress Catherine II St. Petersburg Mining University, the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Transport: A Look into the Future" has concluded. The event brought together top managers from leading automotive manufacturers such as BELAZ and KAMAZ, representatives of the St. Petersburg Metro and Gorelectrotrans, as well as federal and regional government officials.
Forum participants discussed the implementation of modern technologies aimed at improving the efficiency of passenger and freight transportation logistics. These include traffic management, satellite navigation systems, autonomous vehicles, and several others. Nearly all speakers identified the acute shortage of skilled personnel as one of the most pressing issues in the industry. This shortage is attributed to the clear lack of young engineers and the insufficient time allocated for practical training during students' education.
The rector of the Mining University, Vladimir Litvinenko, opened the conference by urging attendees to "use all possible mechanisms to protect the sovereignty of our state," which is based on its vast intellectual and resource potential. For many years, fully utilizing this potential was hindered by the Bologna Process imposed by the West, whose function was to humanize youth rather than train specialists for the real economy, as was the case during the Soviet era.
«The sustainability of our entire society depends on how correctly we think today and how accurately we choose development strategies for the next 5, 10, and more years. At the core of this sustainability are personnel, including those who will join your companies in the future. Given that the average age of engineers is steadily increasing, not only in Russia but worldwide, the competency of those who will replace them is becoming a top priority», -Vladimir Litvinenko emphasized.
He informed the forum delegates about the implementation of the pilot project at the Mining University aimed at improving the personnel training system, initiated by Vladimir Putin, and its fundamental principles. One key aspect is the significant extension of industrial internships, which will enable graduates to adapt much faster to the enterprises where they will be employed.
«I agree: anyone can be taught to drill in a month or even faster, but in this case, they will only learn which buttons to press and which levers to turn. They will not understand the essence of the production process, its economic aspects, the technical characteristics, and the capabilities of the expensive equipment entrusted to them. To use it most efficiently, to be able to quickly expand their skills, and, moreover, to retrain for work in related fields, a fundamental education is necessary, along with the mandatory reinforcement of lecture material through practice. At the end of each spring semester, our students either go to our own training sites, such as Sablino, where several dozen modern drilling rigs of various types are assembled, or to the facilities of our academic partners», - said Vladimir Litvinenko.
Among the enterprises collaborating with Russia’s first technical university in various areas is the Belarusian company BELAZ. Several years ago, a BELAZ Competence Center was established at the Mining University. In its classrooms, students can not only study all the components and details of various mining transport equipment in detail using training stands but also experience what it's like to be the pilot of a giant dump truck through a simulator and even take control of an actual unmanned vehicle.
«We often have to provide additional training to graduates. Moreover, some of them, upon joining production, sometimes do not fully understand what their actual job responsibilities will entail. That’s why I have no doubt that the decision to extend internship periods is absolutely the right one. A future engineer must immerse themselves as much as possible in their specialty while still in university to understand the tasks the company will assign them and how they will solve them. However, in Belarus, we have a significant advantage—mandatory two-year work placement at enterprises for graduates who studied on a state-funded basis. Our task is to turn them into real engineers during this period and to retain them», - noted Alexey Grachev, Deputy General Director for Strategic Development and Corporate Governance at BELAZ.
By the way, it was the Belarusians who, back in 2018, not only introduced the first unmanned dump truck in the Union State to the public but also tested it at the Chernogorsky open-pit mine, owned by SUEK. Despite receiving high praise, it has not yet entered mass production—perhaps domestic businesses are not yet mentally prepared to abandon human-operated vehicles.
At the forum, Alexey Klebanov, Director of Science and Educational Institution Engagement at the "Tsifra" group of companies, which develops software products for mining and oil and gas enterprises, spoke about the vast potential of this field. He particularly highlighted the successful choice of venue for the conference, noting that the "Intelligent Quarry" project was first announced back in 2011 within the walls of the Mining University.
«In the mining industry worldwide, approximately 2,500 autonomous dump trucks are currently in operation. For example, the company Komatsu has invested billions of dollars in specialized projects. In Russia, this sector is developing too slowly, despite the availability of domestically tested solutions of global quality. To change the situation, it is necessary to explore the principles of organizing remote control centers for mining enterprises and the industry as a whole. At the same time, a partnership ecosystem of production, regulatory, design, information, scientific, and mining companies should be established based on educational institutions, which serve as the primary integrators of intellectual and human capital», - said Alexey Klebanov.
It is worth noting that the conference was attended by representatives of government authorities, developers and manufacturers of advanced transport technologies, major enterprises, and scientific and public organizations. Among them were the Chairman of the Transport Committee of the Leningrad Region, Mikhail Prisyazhnyuk; First Deputy General Director of KAMAZ, Irek Gumerov; General Director of the "Telematika-Odin Group," Leonid Paramonov; and the Head of the St. Petersburg Metro, Evgeny Kozin.