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LIFELONG PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN THE INNOVATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY
I.A. Kaplunov,
O.V. Zabelina
General tendencies of the global economic development demonstrate that innovations and knowledge have become the main factors that determine the competitiveness of companies, corporations and the system of government as a whole. The innovative development of the economy is not possible without relevant staffing support, which is the purpose of lifelong professional education.
In the Tver State University (hereinafter “TSU”), which is the absolute regional leader in the sector of higher professional education, the goal-oriented management approach to lifelong education development was organized only in late 2008. Nowadays, a large multi-layered structure the - Institute of Lifelong Education - has been successfully functioning within the University, which provides services for all categories of students - from schoolchildren and university applicants up to the managers of large commercial and government-funded organizations, and the Administration of the Government of the Tver Region.
In 2010, TSU started the implementation of the program “University Technological Park in the Innovative Environment of the Region”. Within the scope of the program of development of the innovative infrastructure of the University, some institutional changes of the system of lifelong education of the University were carried out over a period of three years; the University laid down the foundation for the new mechanism of connection between the system of Continuing Professional Education of the University and regional and business environment; the training and material base of the lifelong education system was modernized; a group of programmers, managers and teachers was prepared; a set of the innovative educational programs focused on solving the tasks of the innovative development of the economy and entrepreneurship of the region was developed and tested. Within the scope of the implementation of the above-mentioned program, inside the Institution of Lifelong Education a set of the interrelated structural divisions is being developed, which jointly solve the tasks of the innovative development of the lifelong professional educational system: The Young University Center (for the development of pre-university pre-professional training), and the career-guidance camp for schoolchildren; Higher School of Economics and Management (for training, retraining and upgrade of qualifications of staff in different areas). Besides, inside the structure of the Faculty of Economics of TSU, there is a Laboratory of Social and Economic Monitoring and Forecasting that carries out monitoring of state of the regional labor market, and tendencies of the innovative development of the region, develops the mechanism of detection of the prospective demand of the employers for professional competences of the employees, and organizes submission of relevant information to the management of the Institution of Lifelong Education and Higher School of Economics and Management. Operations of the newly created division will allow the University to
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implement the innovative technology for development and implementation of the educational programs of training, retraining and upgrading of qualification of the staff sought-after by the regional market. One of the most important tasks of the Higher School of Economics and Management is to encourage development of entrepreneurship, including small innovative and youth entrepreneurship.
Within the scope of the program entitled “University Technological Park in the Innovative Environment of the Region”, since 2011 TSU has been implementing the project named “The Economic and Legal Framework of Small Innovative Ventures”, which is focused on the development of entrepreneurial competencies of young people, and motivating the founding of small innovative enterprises, including companies functioning within the University structure. In this regard, for the purpose of testing the project, the first and second year postgraduate full time students were chosen as a target audience, as well as the first year full time students of the Master’s Program realized at the Faculties of Biology, Physics and Technology, Chemistry and Technology, and the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Geology. At the present time, all postgraduate students and master program students of the University take part in the implementation of the project.
During the course of learning (the program of education), within the scope of the project, students receive knowledge about the entrepreneurial activities and framework for the existence of small innovative ventures; legal aspects of state regulation, and forms of state support of small businesses; study the organizational and economic framework for the foundation and functioning of small businesses (including businesses functioning in the higher educational institutions system); gain elementary skills and knowledge of business planning and search for the sources of finance. The program is being implemented using innovative methods for preparation, control and encouragement of students. As a whole, the project includes the following stages: (1) mass teaching of postgraduate and masters program students in the form of the module program (the purpose of this stage - to prepare individual or group draft business plans, a description of one’s business idea, and the main problems related to its commercialization); (2) public defense of the draft business plans (final control) in the training groups (purpose of this stage
- acquisition by the students of skills of public defense of their projects and selection of the best works to be presented at a fair of business ideas); (3) preparation of presentations of the best draft business plans for the fair of business ideas with a consulting support of the Center for the Commercialization of Pilot Projects (purpose of this stage - to improve the level of development of a business idea and justification of its attractiveness for the investors); (4) fair of business ideas with participation of managers and representatives of the leading companies of the industry, departments and funds (Venture Fund of the Tver Region, Start-up Fund of the Tver Region, Fund of Encouragement of Financing of Small and Medium-Size Businesses of the Tver Region, etc.), that contribute to the organization of businesses and receipt of additional financing (purpose of the stage
- selection of business ideas of young people that are ready to be implemented right away for the rendering of further support in the foundation of a small business in the system of the innovative infrastructure of the University; attracting the attention of potential partners (investors) to the pilot projects developed by the
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young people. Based on the results of the fair, the three best pilot projects developed by the young people shall be chosen that get prizes from the University Rector and the right for further support at the Center of Commercialization of the Pilot Project of the Tver State University.
Such a model of education, contributing to the upgrade of the innovative activity of the young people studying at the higher educational institutions is a unique model for the Tver Region, and may be included into the system of measures for the support of the business activity of young people.
The work focused on the innovative development of the lifelong professional education system is carried out by the University in cooperation with the Government of the Tver Region, regional associations of entrepreneurs and employers, professional associations, and innovative business structures. The prospective programs and programs of staffing regional and branch-wise development, as a rule, require network cooperation between the educational institutions. The Higher School of Economics and Management at the Institution of Lifelong Education of the University, together with independent implementation of the innovative educational programs, has a goal to perform the functions of a scientific, methodological and coordination center for the network implementation of the educational programs in the priority areas of the region: information technology, service sector (business, social environment), life saving and environmental protection, infrastructure, project and innovative management and marketing of high technology production. More than 50 educational centers in the Tver Region are solving the tasks of upgrading qualifications, and preparing specialists of different levels. The passing of the new Federal Law “Concerning Education in the Russian Federation”, that establishes the legal status of educational consortiums, gives a new impetus to the development of network cooperation in the sector of Continuing Professional Education of the Region.
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau
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