St Petersburg University presents the Sociological Clinic at Labour Forum 2019

Vice-Governor of St Petersburg Anna Mityanina, Chairman of the Committee on Labour and Employment of the Population of St Petersburg Dmitrii Cherneiko, and Marina Lavrikova Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities and Teaching Methods at St Petersburg University spoke at a press conference in TASS about a new clinic and other projects which will be presented at the sites of  St Petersburg International Labour Forum on 28 February to 1 March.

‘This year, the main goal of the St Petersburg International Labour Forum is to identify points of economic growth based on the development of human capital. It is important to pay special attention to strategies and practical recommendations for achieving the indicators established by the Presidential Decree “On National Goals and Strategic Objectives of the Development of the Russian Federation for the Period until 2024”. In addition, the forum will give a ceremonial start to the national project “Labour productivity and employment support”, as well as announcing city events in the framework of the national project “Demography”,’ said Vice-governor of St Petersburg Anna Mityanina as she outlined the agenda of the forum.

Thanks to the close interaction of government officials, universities and employers, projects will be implemented and will present a new approach to the development of human capital. Thus, in St Petersburg, retraining of women on parental leave and people of pre-retirement age will be carried out according to programmes offered by the employers themselves. Another example is a new project in the world of work, based on work with big data.

‘Last year, within the framework of the St Petersburg International Labour Forum, a hackathon dedicated to career guidance was held. Today one of the winners of this hackathon, including the support of specialists from St Petersburg University and the Higher School of Economics, began to implement a unique project. Its essence is to create a digital portrait of the qualifications of university graduates on the basis of big data and compare their competencies with those that are required now in the labour market,’ said Dmitrii Cherneiko, head of the Committee for Labour and Employment of the Population of St Petersburg.

The training of new generation workers in the conditions of digital economy is one of the priority tasks of St Petersburg University. For more than 20 years St Petersburg University has been implementing new innovative models of practice for students – clinics that allow University students to acquire practical skills and fulfil orders from potential employers and residents of St Petersburg to receive free assistance. Eight university clinics work today according to this principle. Among them are Legal Clinic,  Psychological Clinic, Social Translation Centre, Centre for Financial Literacy, Social Clinic and others.

‘This year the Sociological Clinic will be presented at the St Petersburg International Labour Forum, where students will conduct research and implement their own socially significant projects. St Petersburg clinics allow you to develop universal and professional competencies, including teamwork skills, effective communication and mastery of digital technologies. Students who undergo practical training in our clinics demonstrate not only university potential, but they also self-actualise, applying a creative approach to their work,’ said Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities and Teaching Methods at St Petersburg University.

Employers will have the opportunity to assess qualifications of the young generation at the ‘Career Day’. This event is traditional for St Petersburg University and will take place for the first time within the framework of the St Petersburg International Youth Labour Forum. The event, organised by St Petersburg University students, is part of the programme of the ‘big’ Labour forum 2019 and will take place on 27 to 28 February.

We note that experts from St Petersburg University took part in the development of all sites and sections of the St Petersburg International Labour Forum. Key events include the international scientific and practical conference ‘Sustainable Development: Society and Economy’, a unique panel discussion ‘Providing services to citizens via Internet aggregators: legal and social consequences’, round table ‘Digital diploma’, round table ‘Artificial Intelligence for Business and Labour Productivity Growth: Myths and Reality’, as well as the  ‘Library of the Labour Forum’ where book novelties from St Petersburg University Publishing House will be presented.