The prestige of working professions among young people. The most prestigious professions

One of the fragments of the USSR, the Worker and Collective Farm Woman monument, still stands at the All-Russian Exhibition Center. The symbol of the era of socialism, in which the working man was a key figure, looks meaningless in today's realities. The manufacturing sector is experiencing an acute shortage of personnel. Is it possible to restore prestige to blue-collar professions, and how to do this, Pravda.Ru was puzzled.

There is no arguing about how popular the professions of a builder, factory worker, miner or painter are in modern Russia. It is enough to look around and see visitors who are ready to lay bricks for pennies, or elderly factory workers who do not see the opportunity to change their profession and are forced to earn their bread with their hands. But the main thing that we will see is the absence of young people in the production environment, because for the most part young Russians are ashamed to go into a profession where they have to work with their hands. And the shortage of personnel is compensated by workers who are not only not professionals, but also do not show even the slightest interest in the success of their business.

The need to raise the prestige of blue-collar professions is regularly stated by the head of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev. The only question is what methods can be used to do this - try to revive former (still Soviet) programs to support the authority of workers, look for some new solutions, or stimulate them with high salaries. The last option is probably the most difficult, since in most cases, wages for workers engaged in manual labor are paid not by the state, but by their direct employers, for whom today minimizing costs comes first. But even those plant managers who are willing to pay a decent salary for the work of a qualified specialist cannot find a suitable candidate. Simply because the opinion has taken root in the minds of Russians that it will be much more successful to work as a manager in some office than to work in a factory, regardless of the salary.

Pravda.Ru found out from experts what is the reason for such a low popularity of blue-collar professions and how can the situation be corrected?

“The issue is re-equipment of workplaces,” says Managing Partner of AVK Group LLC ElenaRollson the.- When there is decent work there, interesting CNC machines (numerical control - ed. ) and decent working conditions, then the blue-collar profession will become prestigious.”

As the expert explained, it is necessary to install modern equipment in factories and enterprises, which would be interesting for young specialists to work on. Because instilling interest in the new generation in old machines that have been plowed for several decades and still remember the builders of the “bright communist future” is an impossible task. A slightly different approach to solving the problem Member of the State Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy Alevtina Aparina.

“There is no need to invent anything special - just return to the system that we had, namely, that there should be vocational schools and that the work there should be of high quality. Vocational schools should be connected with enterprises, and that students should meet those who are high-class professionals ", and were really proud of their profession. The main thing is that there is a guarantee that the graduate will get a job. Then, of course, prestige will increase, because prestige is the desire to get an interesting job so that it is paid as it should be, says a member of the State Duma committee "And, of course, a young person must have a mentor, officially or unofficially, so I believe that here we need to start, as in sports, from the schools of young, say, football players. So here, too, just restore the authority, the prestige of vocational schools." .

At the moment, the Russian manufacturing sector is not going through the best of times. The assertion that blue-collar jobs are low-paid and unattractive is firmly entrenched in the public consciousness. There are not enough hands in the industry; you can’t lure young people into such work. Why did this situation arise? And how to raise the prestige of the profession?

Do you give youth?

Manufacturing enterprises now employ mainly specialists of pre-retirement age - those who received appropriate education back in the Soviet Union. Recruiters say that attracting young people to such work is not an easy task, and there is no need to talk about middle-aged workers at all.

“There are simply no such employees. For example, it has been impossible to find a turner and milling machine operator for quite a long period of time. If applicants of this profile respond to vacancies, then these are mostly people over 40 years old,” says Tatyana Trofimova, HR manager at NPO Unikhimtek.

At first glance, there is nothing wrong with this. A mature and experienced worker does not need to be adapted and introduced into the profession. On the other hand, another couple of years - and there will simply be no one left at the enterprises: the young shift will leave to find work in fashionable and highly paid industries. Why do circumstances turn out this way?

Let's start with the fact that, whatever one may say, there is little romance in blue-collar professions, and representatives of the new generation clearly do not dream of becoming leaders in production.

“On the part of a young specialist, factors such as relatively low wages, shift work schedules, and night shifts may be arguments against manufacturing specialties,” says Natalya Boytsova, HR manager at PROPLEX.

Tatyana Trofimova says that the problem is also related to the existing system of vocational education: “Colleges and universities do not enroll students in blue-collar courses. And for several years now graduates have not entered the market. For example, in Podolsk schools and technical schools there has been no enrollment for such specialties as turners and milling operators for more than three years, and there have been interruptions in the recruitment of service technicians and repairmen.”

Alexander Karpov, HR director at LG Electronics RUS, connects the lack of prestige of the profession with the state of the Russian manufacturing sector as a whole.

“For the specialty “worker” to be considered prestigious, it is necessary that domestic industrial production develop intensively, at a faster pace and stably, without sharp ups and downs in comparison with the Russian economy. Production will develop and blue-collar professions will be in demand and prestigious,” the expert adds.

Money is the engine of progress

Middle-aged specialists also do not strive to become a key link in the production process. Probably, the point is not so much that the profession is not considered fashionable, but rather the size of the salary. There is an opinion that among workers it is, to put it mildly, not very high. Therefore, specialists prefer to get jobs, for example, as sales managers (a job that, for the most part, does not require experience or special knowledge).

Are manufacturing jobs really low-paying?

"This is true. In fact, the search for work in a commercial structure is due to the fact that the salary for blue-collar jobs is significantly lower than for the same sales managers,” says Tatyana Trofimova.

Natalya Boytsova notes that a lot depends on qualifications: “At the stage of introduction to a position, while the work of a newcomer is supervised by a mentor, the employee actually receives little. However, if we are talking about the long term, a competent, qualified specialist will always be expensive.”

“Comparison of the level of pay for workers and, for example, sales managers is not yet in favor of the workers. During the crises, our production “fell” and, as a result, the demand for workers, which caused at least a freeze in their wages. But this is in a relatively short term. I think that the demand for skilled workers and their salary levels will grow at a faster pace than the demand for sales managers and the level of their remuneration,” comments Alexander Karpov.

Raising prestige!

The conclusion suggests itself is the following: there is only one way to ensure a bright future for the Russian manufacturing sector - to increase the attractiveness of blue-collar occupations. How to do it? Our experts shared their opinions on this issue.

Natalya Boytsova believes that a whole range of measures is needed to attract young people: “Employment centers, youth labor exchanges, vacancy announcements not only in newspapers, but also in universities, technical schools, participation in job fairs in educational institutions. The most important thing is to convince young professionals that big, fast money is not always a smart choice. After all, the key to everyone’s personal financial stability is precisely high qualifications, which can be obtained not only after graduating from a university, but also by working in production.”

Alexander Karpov is of the opinion that it is necessary to develop domestic industry, in fact, to carry out reindustrialization at a new innovative level. Moreover, it is necessary to develop, first of all, such high-tech, innovative enterprises that ensure the production of goods with high added value that are in demand by modern people. And in addition to this, purposefully engage in the popularization of blue-collar professions, starting from school.

The events of the 90s led to the collapse of the economy and led to a decrease in the prestige of blue-collar professions and the disappearance of labor dynasties. The image of a successful person in the person of a lawyer, economist, manager, accountant has formed in society. As a result, the market for these professions is oversaturated, there is a mismatch between supply and demand, certified specialists cannot find work, joining the ranks of the unemployed, while there is a widespread shortage of personnel in such professions as mechanics, electric welders, and turners. Solving this problem is impossible without changing state policy in the field of labor resources.

The current political situation, the introduction of sanctions, and the decline in oil prices dictate the need for import substitution and the development of our own production. This requires the revival of our industry, which means we need an influx of qualified workers. Currently, the shortage of workers is filled by migrants from neighboring countries, but their skill level does not meet modern requirements. In recent years, institutions of secondary specialized education have not met the real demands of the economy in terms of the number of graduates, so it is necessary to orient school students to obtain professions that will be in demand in the labor market and bring stable material income. It is necessary to instill in schoolchildren respect for work, to explain that in the current situation, the profession of a lawyer or economist does not always provide an opportunity to get a prestigious job and a stable income.

This is a nationwide problem and it must be solved comprehensively at the state level. One of the most important conditions for increasing the prestige of blue-collar professions is the creation of favorable working conditions, provision of high wages, attention to the work of working people in the media, and public respect. The school should also participate in this process, because it is during the school years that the decision to choose a profession is made. It is necessary to change the stereotype that has developed in society that working in a factory is hard, low-paid work.

According to the Center for Socio-Professional Determination of Youth, more than half of students do not connect the choice of profession with its demand in the labor market and with their abilities, do not have information about the requirements of the profession for its applicant and where one can study the specialty of interest, so career guidance at school due consideration must be given.

Career guidance work is diverse. This includes the organization of classroom hours on the topic of choosing a life path, and individual conversations with students and their parents, and the formation of self-knowledge of adolescents, and work to identify the student’s inclinations for certain activities with the help of a school psychologist. The most effective way in this direction may be to organize excursions to factories, where students can get acquainted with production and see with their own eyes the work of a worker.

Excursions to production for schoolchildren in St. Petersburg are very widely presented. Some St. Petersburg travel agencies offer career guidance excursions for high school students. These entertaining trips provide an opportunity to learn the history of the development of the enterprise, see the production process itself, and, sometimes, participate in it.

This, for example, could be a bus tour to the Imperial Porcelain Factory, which will give the opportunity to see how porcelain is made and visit the Porcelain Art Gallery, or to a pottery workshop, where children will learn a lot of interesting things about pottery and work on a pottery wheel. High school students will visit the Raketa watch factory in Peterhof, see how watchmakers work, and get acquainted with the unique factory and its long history. You can visit the printing house of the St. Petersburg newspaper complex. Children will have a rare opportunity to work on a printing press. Excursions to the Aist household chemicals plant, the Arsenal plant, the Severnaya Verf shipbuilding plant, the Sever-Metropol confectionery production with tasting, the Trud textile factory, the Volkhov hydroelectric power station, the First Bakery Association " Darnitsa”, at the Avtovo Metro depot, is a great way to decide on your future profession.

Competition in the labor market is high. Graduates must be prepared for the fact that employers make demands not only on the professional, but also on the personal qualities of the employee. An important task of the school is to form full-fledged citizens of their country. The future of our economy largely depends on their professional choice.

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Increasing the prestige of working professions and career guidance at school

According to the Center for Socio-Professional Determination of Youth, more than half of students do not connect the choice of profession with its demand in the labor market and with their abilities, they do not have information about the requirements of the profession for its applicant and where they can study the specialty of interest, so career guidance at school due consideration must be given.

It's no secret that the Russian manufacturing sector in general, and the Orenburg sector in particular, has long experienced a shortage of those who know how, and most importantly want to, work with their hands. The assertion that blue-collar jobs are low-paid and unattractive is firmly entrenched in the public consciousness. At industrial enterprises there is an acute shortage of qualified personnel at all levels - from workers to engineers - and young people are not interested and do not want to enroll in vocational schools, colleges and technical schools, since they do not feel the prestige of blue-collar professions.

According to Minister of Labor and Employment of the Orenburg Region Vyacheslav Kuzmin, one cannot consider issues of the prestige of professions and youth employment without understanding the fundamentals of economic development.

On the one hand, over the past seven years, the gross regional product has grown from 500 to 850 billion rubles, and accordingly the budget has grown from 50 to 80 billion rubles, says the minister. - On the other hand, we have presidential decrees in May demanding an increase in wages for healthcare, education, and cultural workers. All this is a non-productive sphere in which products as such are not produced. Where can I get funds? It is clear that they can only appear due to increased labor productivity, economic development, and, as a consequence, increased budget revenues.

Increasing labor productivity is possible subject to technical re-equipment of production, the introduction of new efficient equipment and technologies, intensification of labor, rational organization of production processes and depends on the professional competence of personnel.

The current type of economy involves the constant improvement of the workforce through training and advanced training and dictates the need for labor resources of a qualitatively different type.

However, we often have cases where a specialist, having a diploma in one specialty or another, has never seen new equipment, as they say,” says Vyacheslav Kuzmin. - The situation is even worse when a so-called specialist, having received a diploma, believes that now he should not study anywhere or anything.

Today in the region there are 10 thousand vacancies for 14.4 thousand unemployed. And often there is no one to fill these vacancies, since there are no workers with suitable qualifications.

Training and production symbiosis

In order for technical schools and colleges to produce properly qualified specialists, educational programs do not stand still. Starting from the next academic year, a new educational standard is being introduced, designed to radically change the approach to education in secondary vocational educational institutions.

“The Russian Ministry of Labor has compiled a list of professions in demand on the labor market that require secondary vocational education,” said Larisa Filkova, head of the vocational education department of the Ministry of Education of the Orenburg Region. - This list is called the “TOP 50” professions. It was compiled based on the needs of the country, the reference point was high-tech industries, as well as the service sector. At the same time, we took into account the competency requirements of competition participants within the WorldSkills championships.

According to the regional Ministry of Education, this year 31 specialized vocational education organizations in the region are ready to accept about 1,500 applicants.

These requirements also set new approaches to training itself - in order to educate a competent and qualified specialist, you first need to invest in teachers who can convey knowledge at the required level.

In order for future specialists to receive not only theoretical, but also practical skills during the training process, and precisely those that will be needed in a specific industry in the future, colleges and technical schools enter into a kind of symbiosis with industrial enterprises. Such mutually beneficial cooperation has developed, for example, between the Strela PA and the OSU University College. The company spent money and purchased the necessary equipment on which students from different colleges can do internships. As he says Deputy Director of the College Sergei Dorofeev, thus gaining experience throughout the training, the company receives into its ranks a ready-made specialist with the skills that are needed specifically at this place of work.

But here it is important to understand that a successful career awaits only those who are really interested in building it. The sooner a student decides on his future profession, the more likely it is that he will go through all the stages preceding the birth of a real professional. These are the guys who come to the Orenburg Service College.

“We have guys who, even before enrolling, go to various courses with us in order to get to know their profession better,” shares Director of the College of Service Tatyana Malgina. - Therefore, after graduation, almost 100% of graduates find a job. Over the past couple of years, I can only remember one case when our student found himself on the labor exchange.

Piece goods

If specialists are fully prepared to work in production, then they are snapped up like hotcakes. But let's be honest, this doesn't happen as often as we'd like. Situations have become quite common when enterprises retrain or retrain those who came to them already with a diploma.

“We understand that we have a specific production, and therefore we simply cannot find ready-made specialists who can come to our enterprise and immediately start working,” says Olga Kosova, Head of Human Resources Management at Plastik LLC. “That’s why we have developed a mentoring institute in our production, where more professional employees share their experience with younger ones.

A slightly different situation has developed at the Kushkul Greenhouses eco-farm. The company works with completely new technologies, growing vegetables indoors.

“Unfortunately, when we were faced with the problem of finding employees for our enterprise, we found out that the Orenburg Regional Agrarian University does not train such specialists,” shared Ecofarm HR Manager Yulia Chusova. “That’s why we decided to train those who want to work for us almost from scratch. As a result, we literally receive a piece product that fully meets our requirements.

Experts see the root of the problem in the low prestige of blue-collar professions in the fact that at a certain period of time the state missed the opportunity to regulate the labor market.

“In the 90s, when the main thing for the state was to pull young people out of the gates, they began en masse to recruit graduates for humanitarian specialties,” says Andrei Kirillov, deputy chairman of the committee for the consumer market, services and entrepreneurship development of the Orenburg administration. “It was then that we received a massive production of economists and lawyers, who simply oversaturated the labor market. Today, despite targeted recruitment and other attempts to regulate the social order for personnel, the state has not debugged this system. In any case, the solution to the problem is through dialogue between all parties involved in the process, including the business community as a potential employer.

All round table participants agreed with this, recognizing that a constructive dialogue had taken place, which means that each participant received an idea of what each side should work on in order to ultimately solve personnel problems in the region through joint efforts.

COMPETENTLY

Education away from life

Anna Pavlenko, head of the youth policy department of the Orenburg administration:

“Unfortunately, today, when we come to schools and conduct career guidance events, we see that until graduation, schoolchildren have no idea what they want to be in the future. In order for them to have the opportunity to become more closely acquainted with working specialties, we offer them to work during the summer holidays. The employment situation for teenagers also leaves much to be desired. Previously, more guys were asked to work. Today there are cases when mothers bring teenagers to employment headquarters. In addition, schoolchildren no longer want to be involved in landscaping and cleaning areas. They are more attracted to office work, although they lack the qualifications for it. What is the reason? There are many factors, but I believe that the lion's share of responsibility lies with upbringing. Unfortunately, today children are protected from life as much as possible, protected from everything, and often too much. Schoolchildren do not see manual labor because enterprises are afraid to take responsibility and monitor safety precautions when working with teenagers. Even labor lessons at school today have turned into theoretical ones. Where then do we get mechanics and turners if children don’t even know what machines look like?”

Evgenia Matrusenko, chief specialist of the labor protection and industrial safety department, industrial safety department of Gazpromneft-Orenburg LLC:

“To work at our enterprise, certain qualifications are required, since we have complex modern production. To adapt a specialist, we organize training for him in advanced training courses, and also assign a mentor to support him in the first months of his working life. Representatives of each profession undergo annual testing, based on the results of which the need for additional training is decided. Professional educational institutions, of course, give the future specialist certain knowledge about the methods of certain works. But a specialist can only be trained in a company to work in such a specific industry as oil production. But that’s not all: it’s not enough to be a qualified worker, it’s important to do your job safely. And along with decent wages and a social package, Gazpromneft-Orenburg offers its employees safe working conditions. One of the main corporate values of the company is industrial safety and labor protection. In our work we strive to achieve “Goal Zero”. This means zero harm to human health, zero harm to the environment, zero harm to the equipment on which we work. To achieve this, the company is implementing a set of preventive measures, for example, the “5 Steps of Safety” program, which are designed to create a correct understanding of these important issues and improve production culture. The company invests heavily in appropriate personnel training and providing all employees with modern and high-quality personal protective equipment. I would like to note that our enterprise is included in the regional register of the most conscientious employers, and annually confirms the title of the best enterprise in the Orenburg region in the field of labor protection. This status, which is significant for us, is the result of systematic work within the framework of the corporate policy in the field of industrial safety.”

VERBATIM

Liliya Kosheleva, head of the personnel management department of the Orenburg branch of EnergosbyT Plus OJSC:

“We have positions for which we accept people without work experience - with primary vocational and secondary vocational education. These are professions that do not require special qualifications: controllers, technicians, contact center operators. If people want to develop further and get a more serious position, then they will certainly need to obtain higher professional education. The personnel policy of our company is aimed at helping our employees develop. There is an opportunity to study and receive education at the expense of the company, and there is a mentoring system. We need highly qualified specialists, but if we cannot find them, we train them ourselves.

We are happy to promote our employees up the career ladder. We have developed horizontal and vertical rotation. For positions that require a high level of competence and are accordingly highly paid, we, as a rule, appoint those who have already worked with us for some time. But employees must show that they are ready to learn: perhaps, stay late after work, learn new software systems.

Every month we accept up to 10 people in all branches of the company in the Orenburg region. The starting salary level is at least 15 thousand rubles. However, if an employee proves himself, he has a chance to earn more and occupy a high position. The company is present in 17 regions. And our former employees today work in high-level positions in other cities. In general, there are a lot of opportunities for the development of young specialists. And if a person wants to try his hand, he can express himself in several ways. Firstly, come for an internship, after which many young people remain at the enterprise. He can also send a resume: electronically or in paper form. Due to internal transfers, we are almost always in need of controllers and contact center employees, and we are inviting new employees to fill these positions.”

Alexander Shlychkov, head of the training and production center of Strela PA JSC:

“Is the region experiencing a labor shortage? I would say more precisely: the region is experiencing a shortage of qualified personnel. A worker, for example, a turner, can become qualified only after 5-6 years of work. Our training and production center has existed since the 60s. Today, every year about 500 people from schools, universities and colleges come to us - and UOC specialists introduce them to the production process, technologies used at the association, and modern high-precision equipment. We are licensed to provide training in 65 professions. For this, the training center has all the conditions: equipped classrooms, an excellent computer lab, a production area where 8 machines are installed. These are universal and CNC machines. All specialists who teach theoretical disciplines have been trained in the psychological and pedagogical foundations of vocational training for adults. Future machine operators first undergo theoretical training. These are such subjects as: metal science, tolerances and technical measurements, reading drawings and diagrams, labor protection, special technologies - everything that a highly qualified worker should know.

The direct costs of training, for example, a turner are about 60 thousand rubles. In addition, every month we pay the student a salary of 1 minimum wage.

However, some students still do not complete their studies: they leave, realizing that this is not their profession. But there are very few of them - less than 3%. The rest remain in production. The company has agreements with many educational institutions, from where many children come for internships. And yet, only we ourselves can fully prepare an employee for our specific needs. Yes, we select employees and retain only the best. But we also pay decent wages - and this is on average more than 40 thousand rubles. around the plant - and we know for sure that people are interested in their work, they are interested in it and will remain at the enterprise.”

TO THE POINT

List of professions in demand in the regional labor market for May 2017*:

doctors of various specializations;
nurse;
teachers of various specializations;
car driver;
cashier;
cook;
machine operator;
rolling stock repairman;
turner;
tractor driver

*according to the regional Ministry of Labor and Employment

Heads of manufacturing companies spoke about how to work to make their workplaces more attractive

Being a worker is prestigious. What is confusing about this phrase? Business representatives - nothing. According to the heads of manufacturing companies, today such modern and comfortable working conditions are being created that it is often more pleasant and safer to work than in the office.

In May 2012, President Vladimir Putin set the government the task of creating and modernizing 25 million jobs by 2020. He later clarified that these jobs must be “effective”, therefore, created to replace the old ones. Such workplaces can be equipped by effective companies that have overcome crises and adapted to modern economic conditions. On the one hand, they have accumulated extensive experience in working with employees, on the other hand, due to their long history, they are a more stable and attractive employer for many.

We turned to modern, successful and efficient companies with the question: “What is hindering the increase in the prestige of engineering and blue-collar professions?” to find out what this process looks like from inside those companies that create new prestige with their own hands.

General Director of KASTAMONU in Russia (the plant is located in the Alabuga SEZ, Yelabuga)

I would not say that today the prestige of engineering specialties is low. It shows noticeable growth and now a highly qualified engineer is a specialist in great demand on the market.

For blue-collar occupations, the situation is somewhat different, but the trend is also positive. The market is oversaturated with humanitarian specialties, while we, large manufacturing companies, also need engineering and blue-collar specialties.

By creating comfortable and safe working conditions for our employees, we simultaneously strive to instill in them the values of our common corporate culture. It is important for us that the workforce is a single whole, that its work is based on mutual respect, mutual assistance, compliance with ethical standards, principles of resource conservation and responsible attitude towards the environment.

Director of the Corporate Affairs Department of the SEZ "Alabuga"

The prestige of blue-collar and engineering professions has long been no longer low. Young people understand that after college they have a chance of getting a well-paid job, and they go to study for blue-collar jobs. Of course, representatives of the younger generation do not want to work in factories with a “Soviet past” - they are looking for modern, high-tech production, and are striving for advanced, fast-growing companies. The Alabuga SEZ annually launches from two to five factories and builds the same number. The high flow of incoming candidates for blue-collar and engineering vacancies among residents and in the SEZ itself confirms that a fast-growing company is always a desirable employer.
We do not feel a shortage of specialists in the blue-collar and engineering professions and have no problems attracting such personnel. On the other hand, it is obvious that good professionals are expensive and prefer to work in successful, sought-after companies that provide decent conditions for employees. We interact with universities and colleges in Elabuga and Naberezhnye Chelny - we specially train specialists to meet the requirements of residents. A graduate who has completed an internship in the SEZ becomes a fully prepared specialist for real work within two months. We pay for internships so that young professionals have an incentive to stay in the SEZ and continue working with us. We see that in Naberezhnye Chelny the traditions of working professions are more clearly manifested, so we actively work with students and graduates of colleges in the city.
Co-founder and director of Ledel LLC

Unfortunately, in the 90s, the prestige of engineering and blue-collar professions fell; applicants preferred other professions. Therefore, there are currently few talented engineers, lighting engineers, and designers on the labor market. We are having difficulty finding good engineers. It is quite easy to train a person in a working profession, but it is quite difficult to train an engineer in the specifics of work in our field. We “grow” most of our employees ourselves. We hire young specialists, invest in their training, and provide resources for self-development. In the process of work, they gain the necessary experience and become valuable personnel.
Nowadays the demand for qualified engineers is quite high. Hiring a good specialist for a company is expensive, so respect for these professions is growing.
What hinders the increase in prestige is the lack of popularization of blue-collar professions and the lack of a system that supports and develops young developers and inventors.
Head of the Kama Center for Cluster Development of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of Tatarstan

Prestige today is characterized primarily by remuneration. Unfortunately, today the level of salaries for engineering specialties is not one of the highest in Russia. Therefore, it is not the “champions” of their field who go to work. However, times are changing, and we see facts that, for example, a highly qualified engineer with unique competencies on the labor market can be very expensive.
I think that this positive trend in Russia will continue and our engineers will earn no less than in Europe or the USA.
Head of the Security and Graphics Department at 3M Russia

People are undoubtedly the main resource of any company. It is no secret that today there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country, despite the fact that the need for them is increasing. In this situation, highly qualified workers can choose their place of work based on indicators such as wages, social packages, various compensations and others, and companies are forced to fight for them, offering increasingly competitive conditions. The younger generation is more attentive to their health, so the employer needs to provide not only competitive wages, but also competitive working conditions.
There are enterprises that implement comprehensive special programs to protect their workers. These are mainly the flagships of Russian industry, large corporations with a high level of social responsibility, whose activities attract public attention. There are also small companies that are very responsible about the health of their employees and provide them with high-quality protective equipment and comprehensive information. At these enterprises, the issue of shortage of highly qualified workers, as a rule, is not so acute or does not arise at all.
I visit enterprises, communicate with local workers, and see the difference between the approach to ensuring the personal safety of young people and the older generation. As I have already noted, young people are more responsible about this issue and show greater interest in quality protective equipment; they are ready to learn, receive information, and master new technologies, while the older generation prefers to work the old fashioned way.
Co-owner, director and manager of the largest goat farm in Russia “Lukoz Saba”, deputy director of CJSC Sernur Cheese Factory

Indeed, the prestige of blue-collar professions is lower than others. Often people prefer to have even a lower salary, but, as they say, a “non-dusty” job. I'm afraid that my recipes for increasing the prestige of blue-collar jobs will be too universal. Nevertheless, I see three main conditions. First of all, decent wages. I regularly review statistics on companies in my area to stay competitive. In terms of level, we are usually in the top three in our industry.
The next important factor is the team. It is no secret that in agriculture the average age of employees is not young, and young people do not want to go there to work simply because they do not feel like they belong in the team. The manager needs to set the goal of active rejuvenation and building relationships with the team. In our company it is easier, because we are a relatively new legal entity, we were able to immediately assemble a young team. This, in turn, attracts a new wave of young employees, because it is comfortable to work in such a team: with people of the same interests, the same understanding of life. Then communications within the company become easier. What to do if the team is more mature is a difficult task and, perhaps, a topic for a separate article. It is very difficult to bring young people into the age group if you do not lure them with large salaries. But the discrepancy with salaries, in turn, is a source of other conflicts.
And the third factor is working conditions. There is a lot of talk about how “IT people” have free cookies and ping pong in their office. But this is how you can equip a workplace in any company! We spend so much time at work that it should be comfortable and a place where you want to go. Honestly, when I come to negotiations or to any new company, I try to go into the toilet and see how everything is organized there. Very often you can tell by the state of the toilet how things are going in the company. A meal room, clean, renovated toilets, neat locker rooms and new work clothes... We, managers, often forget about such things, sitting in offices and doing work that is obscure to ordinary employees. But I try to go around at least once a month and see what’s going on in the locker rooms, toilets, and meal rooms.

Online newspaper "Real Time"