Educational institutions to adapt their training programs for the energy of the future

By order of energy companies, educational institutions will adapt their programs for training specialists in such areas of the energy of the future as “Digital Energy Network”, “Intellectual Distributed Energy”, “New Consumer Services”.

“The most promising and actually sought-after professions includes specialists in ensuring cyber security of energy companies, adjusters and controllers of power grids for distributed energy, specialists in digital power systems design, in digital control systems for energy facilities,” Vladimir Sofyin, the Director of the Department of Technological Development and Innovation at Rosseti, PJSC, said at the expert session “Staffing of the Electric Power Industry of the Future” held on August 29 at EXPO in Astana.

According to him, by 2023, the list of qualifications can be supplemented due to the emergence of new professional competencies at the intersection of areas related to the electric power industry – IT, economics, law.

During the session, a member of the working group of the EnergyNet market of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) presented the project of the EnergyNet educational alliance, in accordance with which universities will develop programs for advanced training of such specialists in key prospective competencies of market segments, whereas businesses will formulate their need for personnel.

According to the presented model of the educational alliance, the activity will take into account the strategies and programs for the development of electric power industry enterprises, initiatives to create new markets. “For the coordinated design of new competencies adapted to these programs, the project will involve representatives of business, companies, the scientific community, educational institutions, and executive bodies,” Zhanna Kadyleva, a member of the working group of the EnergyNet market, said.

The readiness to participate in the project was announced by the Higher School of Economics (HSE), the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI), Sevastopol (SevSU), Chuvash (ChSU) and Mari (MarSU) state universities, the Saint Petersburg State University (SPbSU).

The customers for personnel training are member companies of the EnergyNet market working group.

“Graduates do not have enough practical experience, knowledge of new technologies. The same can be said about teachers,” Irina Volkova, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Pricing Problems and Natural Monopolies Regulation of the HSE, explained to the editorial board of the ASI’s website. “It is impossible to concentrate teaching, technical resources in each university, to provide students with all the necessary competences, to train them in demanded specialties.”

Therefore, according to her, the task of the educational alliance is to provide all stakeholders – universities, energy companies, university entrants, branch scientific centers – with a site for sharing experience, knowledge, technology, and need for personnel.

At the HSE, two research institutes work on the energy sector – the Institute of Power Engineering and the Institute of Pricing Problems and Natural Monopolies Regulation. “Several educational programs have been launched. Therefore, we are interested in participating in the alliance, primarily, in terms of training economists, managers in the electric power industry,” Irina Volkova said.

Meanwhile, educational institutions have been already included in the training of demanded prospective specialists in the energy sector. Starting this year, the MPEI launches the program “Intelligent Power Systems”.

“SevSU, in cooperation with SPbSU, is implementing the network master’s program ‘Intelligent Power Supply Systems,’” Vladislav Vorotnitsky, the Head of the Reliable and Flexible Grids direction of the EnergyNet working group, reported.

Research work, new technology and equipment form the requirements for the training of engineering and operational personnel. Given the long period of training specialists, identifying promising competencies is essential for the creation of mechanisms for advanced training and retraining of personnel, development of educational programs and standards, he explained.