St Petersburg University experts at the Labour Forum to talk about changes in the labour market and young people’s unique experiences

"Many businesses today are facing a shortage of workers. Hence, it is necessary that we understand the causes behind the shortage of skilled manpower and develop optimal ways to solve the problem. Having a lot of active young people who wish to build a successful career, St Petersburg University has always been actively involved not only in discussing but also in solving this issue. Every year, the University’s experts participate in discussing the most topical issues, suggest solutions and provide expert assessments. In addition, within the 8th International Labour Forum, St Petersburg University will share its best practices and demonstrate the vast potential and significance of classical university education," said Dmitrii Cherneiko.

The organisers of the 8th St Petersburg International Labour Forum are: the Government of St Petersburg; St Petersburg University; the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of States Members of the Commonwealth of Independent States; and the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation.

This year, the Forum programme features 17 tracks to discuss: human resources technologies; education; labour and employment; migration; occupational safety; human resources for the culture industries; the non-profit sector; and many other core issues. A separate Forum track #SPbU300 is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University. Within this track, leading St Petersburg University experts will speak about: cooperation between businesses, universities and the state; workplace safety issues; professional adaptation of newly hired young specialists in large companies; and interdisciplinary career development. 

The 8th St Petersburg International Labour Forum will host more than 50 events organised by St Petersburg University, including: research panels; round tables; research and practice conferences; business forums; academic discussions and seminars. Among the key events is the international research and practical conference "Human Capital: Education, Labour, and Employment in Modern Society", dedicated to the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University and aimed at discussing the importance of human resources for the development of contemporary society.

Throughout its 300-year history, St Petersburg University has been focused on training workforce that will be able to meet the key challenges facing the state. This has always been one of the primary missions of the University.

Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University

‘The research and practice conference organised by the University will bring together scholars and practitioners in the fields of: law; sociology; psychology; economics; political science; management; international relations; and mathematics, who use artificial intelligence tools to predict the future of the labour market. It will give a broad perspective on the issues of human capital formation that enables the experts to thoroughly discuss the current labour market issues and, most importantly, find ways to address them,’ stressed Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University. 

Elena Chernova noted that one of the tasks of St Petersburg University is to anticipate the challenges and prepare qualified specialists who will be in demand in the society and economy of the future. As per tradition, students will play a major role in this discussion. St Petersburg University will host the annual St Petersburg International Youth Labour Forum "Human Capital of Youth: Changing the Future!" and the Spring Career Day 2024, with expected attendance of over 1,500 people. St Petersburg University experts will hold plenary sessions, master classes and interactive workshops. Discussion topics range from how young people today can find a job and where to gain work experience to how new-age professionals are changing the job market today. 

During the plenary session "Success Formula: Given — Find — Solution", the participants will discuss career development strategies for young professionals and the opportunities that government authorities, businesses and universities provide for early-career specialists today. Among the discussion participants is Hans-Joachim Frey, Artistic Director of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation, who will make assessments of the creative and innovative potential of young people today and give advice to early-career specialists on how to combine their professional development and creativity goals.

Today, we observe that young people build a ‘career portfolio’, rather than a "career path", opting for the all-round personal and professional development. The combination of these aspects will be a particular focus of attention at the St Petersburg International Youth Labour Forum.

Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University

Additionally, St Petersburg University will present its achievements within the framework of the KUB EXPO Exhibition "Human Resources. Management. Safety", focused on workforce development and occupational safety. In particular, the University will present the findings of the students’ projects carried out at St Petersburg University clinics. The clinical approach in education is a unique form of gaining hands-on experience in solving real-life issues for employers while still at university. The presented student projects were requested by: government agencies; commercial companies; enterprises of the real sector of the economy; and cultural institutions. 

The Forum will also host the opening of two new units of St Petersburg University: the St Petersburg University Clinic of Applied Political Science and the St Petersburg University HR Clinic. Also, the Forum participants will be able to visit the interactive exhibition stand of St Petersburg University and receive individual recommendations on which research solutions are most relevant to the organisation’s request, selection of experts and other matters. 

"The Labour Forum is an opportunity space for those interested in the development of human capital. We are confident that the collaboration between the representatives of the key parties in the labour relations system will enable us to find optimal solutions not only to research problems in labour relations, but also to offer practical recommendations" said Elena Chernova, Senior Vice-Rector at St Petersburg University. 

The press conference was also attended by: Dmitriy Kobitskiy, Secretary General — Head of the Secretariat of the Council of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly; Andrei Betin, Deputy Director General of the Autonomous Non-profit Organisation "Russia is a Land of Opportunities", Rector of the Senezh Management Workshop; Alexander Gorokhov, Deputy Director General of ExpoForum International; Dmitry Puchkov, Development Director of Avito Work platform; Marina Borisova, President of National Qualifications AO; and Vitaliy Terentyev, GR-Director of Headhunter.