Nguyen Thang

The delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University has returned from the International Internship “Scientific and Technological Development in the Field of Energy Security,” held at Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) in China.

Students of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University participating in a Summer School at China University of Petroleum (Qingdao) (UPC) were shown the university’s main practical training centre, where laboratories reproduce the full range of real-world production processes used by oil and gas enterprises.

Despite the Western initiative to phase out fossil fuels, coal remains a strategic asset for the financial and industrial security of many countries. China’s open-pit coal mines are among the most sought-after destinations for international specialists in the mineral resources sector. For them, seeing first-hand the technologies used to develop deposits in the world’s leading coal-producing country is far more significant than simply visiting the Great Wall of China or the Forbidden City.

China ranks first in the world in coal production by a huge margin. In 2025, output reached a record 4.83 billion tonnes. Coal remains China’s main source of energy, covering more than half — according to some data, around 60% — of the country’s electricity needs.

Students of the Mining University are undergoing an internship at China University of Petroleum in Qingdao (China University of Petroleum, UPC), where future specialists are being introduced to theories and practices in oil and gas engineering, energy, and engineering sciences. During the first few days, the students attended lectures in English, mastering specialized energy modules, visited TELD, the city’s largest industrial enterprise, and immersed themselves in the country’s culture.

Diplomas were awarded at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University to the first graduates of the international MBA educational program “Management of Subsoil Use Facilities.” The project participants are middle- and senior-level executives of government bodies, sectoral companies, and scientific and educational institutions of the mineral resources complex from countries of the African continent.

The international Summer Schools have concluded at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. This is already the eighth season in the history of the project, which is addressed to future specialists of the mineral resources complex. Such a format allows for the organic combination of academic knowledge, real-world production practice, recreation, and an introduction to the rich culture of the Northern Capital. The program is overseen by the International Competence Centre under the auspices of UNESCO.

The main skill that a geologist must acquire during training is the ability to work in field conditions. The current third-year students gained their first such experience during an educational and introductory internship after their first year at geological sites in the Leningrad Region. After their second year, they mastered the profession of ”Worker in geological works of the 2nd category” by performing educational tasks at the training ground in Crimea.

To maintain continuity at each individual enterprise or institution, experts believe it is necessary for young people under 35 to make up at least 25-30% of the workforce. In the agro-industrial complex today, employees of this age account for only 16%. Among school teachers and the academic teaching staff of universities, it is 23% (for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the comparable threshold for youth is not the generally accepted 35, but 39 years, since the training period includes postgraduate studies).

The Summer School for undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has concluded at the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. This is one of the most prestigious technical higher educational institutions in the country; among its alumni, for example, is Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet.

The second Summer School of this year has concluded at Saint Petersburg Mining University. Its graduates were 48 students from ten Russian higher educational institutions. The geography spanned the entire country: from Chechnya to Magadan. Among the guests were Almetyevsk State Technical University ”Higher School of Petroleum,” Transbaikal State University, Southwestern State University, Donbass State Technical University, Millionshchikov Grozny State Oil Technical University, and others.

On July 4, the United States celebrates Independence Day. On this day in 1776, exactly 250 years ago, a congress of representatives from the thirteen American colonies of Great Britain approved the Declaration of Independence, which was prepared by a group of delegates led by Thomas Jefferson. The States gained political independence from the metropolis.

Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University has launched the selection process for candidates to participate in the international professional retraining educational program ”Management of Subsoil Use Facilities.” The project is being implemented with the support of the International Competence Centre for Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO.

South Korea is the gold standard of automation; there is already one robot for every 10 employees there. In Russia, the coverage is 100 times lower, but it will still be impossible to keep the country within the previous technological paradigm.

One of the problems hindering the development of the engineering sector is the deep divide between high school and university: the dominance of the Unified State Exam (EGE) destroys systemic thinking and interdisciplinary connections, forming a fragmented, ”clip-like” perception among adolescents. Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University has developed a system of ”seamless” transition that synthesizes elements of both domestic and international educational models.

This spring, Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University organized a series of international trips for its students, postgraduate researchers, and faculty members to partner universities and industrial enterprises. Two cohorts visited China: one traveled to Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, where nearly 40% of China’s coal reserves are concentrated, and the other went to Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province, which serves as a major hub for the mining industry’s scientific and technological centers. A third group flew across the ocean to Ecuador in South America.