According to the estimates of ANO «The Kamsky Center of Cluster Development of Small and
Medium Businesses», the total revenue of the companies — participants of the cluster of small and
medium businesses of the Republic of Tatarstan — increased up to 3,557.8 mln rubles by 2018.
Valentina Kulagina, an expert from ICL System Technologies, is of the opinion that sound staffing
policy should be the major component of success. At the First Republican IT Cluster Forum, she
shared her vision on the issue of training of young IT professionals.
The First Republican IT Cluster Forum 2016 was held in IT Park of Naberezhnye Chelny on the
initiative of the
Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Kamsky Center of Cluster
Development of Small and Medium Businesses, and the Technopark in the sphere of high
technologies «IT-park» and supported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the City of
Naberezhnye Chelny and Zakamye Region.
During the plenary part of the Forum, Valentina Kulagina, the expert from ICL System Technologies,
outlined the key problems and development prospects for IT business and drew special attention to
the issues of staff training. According to the expert, young professionals who are poorly acquainted
with the labor market and are not able to draw a correct conclusion about the demand in their skills,
are especially vulnerable. For students’ employment promotion, industrial schools should be opened,
trainings should be held and a single information resource for interaction of students, employers and
educational institutions should be created.
«Many years of working with students show that very often young professionals do not have the skill
set necessary for fulfillment of job functions. Curricula of higher education institutions will always lag
behind the employers’ actual requirements. We should make efforts to reduce the gap between
theory and practice by implementing in clusters a practice-oriented model of students training,» says
Valentina Kulagina. «That is why we suggest that the possibility to create in the RT a center for
human development and children’s competencies in Information Technologies cluster is considered.
It will help students see the whole list of employers who need specialists with such skills, and
employers will have an opportunity to detect talented students and in the course of internships grow
high-skilled professionals.»
Note that ICL System Technologies has already successfully implemented the project in
development of students’ potential capabilities and competencies in Innopolis University. Career
Portal, an interactive platform for interaction of students and employers — residents of Innopolis
SEZ was created in the University. Notwithstanding the fact that at present the Portal is in a trial
phase, it has already been highly appreciated both by users and by the top management of Innopolis
University.
