Innovative Research & Educational Complex of Professional Competence

Innovative Research & Educational Complex of Professional Competence

The Astrakhan Regional Strategy of Development includes several top priority directions of the regional economical development; ship building and ship repairing are the most important directions. Thus, the first joint innovative research and educational complex of professional competence have been set up in the village of Krasnye Barrikady, which is located near the city of Astrakhan.

The Complex has been founded by:

Astrakhan State University;
Krasnye Barrikady Ship Building Plant;
Krasnye Barrikady School of Secondary Education.

The Complex includes:

Center of Professional Competence at the Krasnye Barrikady Ship Building Plant;
Center of Exact & Natural Sciences at the Krasnye Barrikady School of Secondary Education.

The idea of such a project was born a few years ago, when Astrakhan State University launched new high-tech specialties – Equipment & Technology of Welding Engineering, Material Science & Technology of New Materials, Electronics & Microelectronics. To provide a high-quality training of future specialists, a serious production base was necessary. Such a base was supposed to be able both to set and to tackle research and technological problems. The three founders of the Complex signed a preliminary agreement in February 2006. As a result, several lecture halls (with up-to-date computer, multimedia, and video equipment installed there) and research-educational laboratories provided with unique equipment have been organized at the Plant and at the Secondary School.

ASU’s strategy of innovative development implies that ASU should closely cooperate with Regional enterprises to train competitive specialists, who would be able to adapt to the new needs of the labor market easily, who would speak one or two foreign languages fluently. The University trains future specialists and engineers on the base the project approach; there are 78 specialties for them, and most of those specialties are relevant for the Krasnye Barrikady Plant.

The project approach to the training of future specialists implies the creation of student teams, who carry out production-oriented projects in accordance with real orders placed by real enterprises. Such projects are carried out under the supervision of highly-qualified teachers and specialists at the 4^th and the 5^th years of education. Such an approach develops critical thinking, abilities to plan professional activities, to search and to process information, to work both independently and in a team.

The scholars of the University carry out research and innovative works in the field of welding, material science, non-destructive inspection means, information systems and technologies, telecommunications, etc. Now ASU and the Krasny Barrikady Plant are setting up two joint R & D laboratories of welding and destructive and non-destructive inspection of welding seams; students, professors, and engineers shall work there. Now the equipment is being installed there.

As for the Krasny Barrikady Secondary School, Astrakhan State University has opened its representative office there. 250 correspondence students (30 of them work with the Plant) study there. All in all, more than 300 graduates of this School now study at out University. The Center of Exact & Natural Sciences operates at this School; it teaches both university and school students, encouraging their technological creativity. The University has invested much into the general repair of the School, into its equipping with up-to-date computer, multimedia, and video equipment.

The Centers of Professional Competence are generators of new ideas in the field of science and technology; this is the birth place for new projects to be applied by small innovative business enterprises, which will be chosen at the regional level and will claim federal grants.

Such Centers of Professional Competence make it possible to enhance the quality of training future specialists, to choose the most talented young people on a competitive basis, to tackle manufacturing problems and tasks by using the research potential of the faculty staff. This is the way how we realize the educational program throughout one’s whole life; such a program requires a new educational strategy, which must be based on introducing changes into its organizational structure, innovative methods, and into forms of education –taking into account our students’ personal qualities and abilities.