21 July 2018 the International educational program for leading regional VET management teams «Managing the changes in the VET system to strengthen regional economy» was completed in Khabarovsk.

Key goal of the program – to train VET management teams to develop and implement new educational programs in line with regional economic development goals.

The project was being implemented in the framework of the International program to strengthen VET systems and labor markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East in which 5 pilot Russian regions were chosen to participate. The International program is a part of Russia-ILO initiative «Applying the G20 Training Strategy». Key partner organization in project implementation in Khabarovsk was Khabarovsk regional institute for the development of vocational education and training.

«I support the idea that today the boundaries between VET and higher professional education are blurred. Our position is that VET institutions can and should be built in as a strong participant in the regional socio-economic development strategy. We believe that now there is an opportunity for technical and vocational schools to shift from the usual paradigm of service on a residual principle to actively position themselves in the services market and compete with universities. Since in Russia all regions are different, we decided that the training of management teams is most effective in the region. This way the program becomes a platform for dialogue between educational organizations, representatives of regional business and regional authorities. In my opinion, we managed to fulfill this idea in the Khabarovsk region and this fall a similar program will be launched in the next pilot region- the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)» - Valeria Sakharova, Head of International Program to Strengthen TVET Systems and Labor Markets in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East» - Valeria Sakharova, Head of the International Program to Strengthen TVET Systems and Labor Market in the CIS, Asia and the Middle East.

7 leading VET institutions were chosen to participate in the program. In the course of the training, VET teams mastered the best Russian and international practices in the field of education management from Russia, Brazil, Germany and China, analyzed regional labor market demand, and built strong lasting partnerships with key industrial partners. In the future, this will help synchronize educational programs with demand from regional business and ensure the employment of future graduates.

July 23, 2018 the results of the program were presented to the Governor of the Khabarovsk region - Vyacheslav Shport and members of the Government. During the meeting, 4 best projects were considered. The Khabarovsk Technical College has developed the program «Energy Efficiency in Housing and Communal Services», which is aimed at training a specialist with competence in the field of energy efficiency and the latest technologies in accordance with the «passive house» standard. The Horsky Agro-Industrial College presented the program «Digital Agronomist». A specialist of a new level will have knowledge of advanced production technologies and will be able to operate unmanned agricultural vehicles. The team of the Chegdomynsk Mining and Technological College designed the «Operator of Unmanned Mountain Complexes» program. The developed program is a response to the challenges of digital transformation of the mining industry and will train specialists on how to introduce and manage the unmanned mining, processing and transportation of minerals. The Governor's Aircraft College in Komsomolsk-on-Amur presented a training program «Industrial Design». The graduate of this program will have the competence of computer modeling, design, as well as entrepreneurial skills.

The first launch of new educational programs is planned for the autumn of 2018.