Energy Minister and Minister of Science and Higher Education meet with students and young experts at REW 2018
On 6 October, as part of #BrighterTogether Youth Day of the Russian Energy Week 2018, Energy Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak and Mikhail Kotyukov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, held an informal meeting with students and young specialists.
In his opening remarks, Alexander Novak pointed to the unprecedented scale of REW 2018, which has become an important international platform for discussing development problems faced by the energy sector. In particular, he said that around 10,000 specialists from 70 regions of Russia had taken part in the Russian Energy Week 2018, including 3000 young people aged under 35. The REW 2018 hosted 60 events and considered 70 projects, and most of them were developed involving young specialists, according to the Minister.
Taking questions from young people, Alexander Novak and Mikhail Kotyukov stressed the need to foster educational programmes aimed at effectively attracting the youth into the energy sector. To illustrate this idea, Mr Novak recalled his first steps in the industry. Among other things, he said young specialists of his plant were actively involved in the development and introduction of streamlining proposals. The Energy Minister believes that the practice should be restored. The industry urgently needs the energy of young people, full of initiative and aimed to achieve the best results. Therefore, the top priority is to create the information and communication platforms for the youth to attract young people to the development and implementation of the industry’s projects.
Addressing the audience, Alexander Novak invited participants to take part in the work of his ministry’s scientific and technical council. At the same time, he noted that not only the ministry but each large company in the sector should rely on the energy and knowledge of young specialists. The Minister said this was one of the indispensible prerequisites of the progressive development for any industrial team. In turn, Mikhail Kotyukov pointed to the importance of mentor traditions at production sites where experienced workers would assume patronage over their younger colleagues. “In my time, one of my mentors was Alexander Novak, and I have learnt a lot from him,” Mr Kotyukov confided. In this respect, he said the Ministry of Science and Higher Education planned to open 900 science labs at higher education institutions with a view to preparing over 35,000 new researchers who will promote the development of all spheres of the Russian economy, including energy.
The meeting ended with a formal ceremony in which Alexander Novak and Mikhail Kotyukov handed awards to the winners of youth competitions held during the Russian Energy Week 2018.
