IT Scholarships to Increase by 34% in 2015
Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science has approved the number of scholarships for IT programs available for the 2015-2016 academic year, according to a statement by Russia’s Ministry of Communications and Mass Media
Feb 27, 2014
The number of scholarships available as a whole increased by 34 percent, while support for graduate programs in computer science has increased by 74 percent. The number of subsidized places for those students studying Information Systems and Technology has increased by 208 percent, for Applied Computer Science 191 percent and for Information and Communication Technology and Communication Systems 202 percent.
A shortage of personnel is one of the major constraints on the development of the IT industry in Russia. The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media estimates that at least 350,000 professionals are required by 2018 to support the development of the country’s IT industry. Increasing the number of scholarships available for IT education is one of the measures through which they hope to achieve this goal.
Annually, 25,000 new graduates become available to the IT industry. Today, only 15-20 percent of graduates are fit for immediate deployment in the field of information technology.
"The current education system does not produce professionals ready to start working immediately for IT companies," said Deputy Minister of Communications Mark Shmulevich. "Companies are genuinely invested in additional training for employees, but of concern is the time that this takes. Additional training should not exceed a reasonable threshold. As a result, the industry is experiencing staff shortages. Up to 150,000 trained IT professionals are needed by 2018 but we need twice that amount. This problem is compounded by the ‘demographic hole.’ Therefore, increasing the number of IT professionals in the labor market is of major concern."
The objective of reducing personnel shortages in the IT sector was discussed at a government meeting with the Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov in October 2013, which resulted in a "Strategy for the development of information technologies in the Russian Federation for 2014-2020, and up to 2025." Addressing staff shortages is among the main priorities of the strategy, which includes a road map for its implementation and other documents defining the development of the industry.
The IT industry is one Russia’s most successful sectors. A single employee creates products and services worth an average of more than 2 million rubles per year, and the entire industry increases the export of Russian IT products abroad from year to year. In 2013, exports exceeded $5 billion. To increase the development of IT products in the country and demand for them on the global market, the Ministry of Communications also plans to develop public-private partnerships, collaborate with IT companies who are involved in the retraining of personnel, leverage the potential of specialized secondary education and provide targeted support for the most promising students in the field of IT at both the primary and tertiary levels.
A shortage of personnel is one of the major constraints on the development of the IT industry in Russia. The Ministry of Communications and Mass Media estimates that at least 350,000 professionals are required by 2018 to support the development of the country’s IT industry. Increasing the number of scholarships available for IT education is one of the measures through which they hope to achieve this goal.
Annually, 25,000 new graduates become available to the IT industry. Today, only 15-20 percent of graduates are fit for immediate deployment in the field of information technology.
"The current education system does not produce professionals ready to start working immediately for IT companies," said Deputy Minister of Communications Mark Shmulevich. "Companies are genuinely invested in additional training for employees, but of concern is the time that this takes. Additional training should not exceed a reasonable threshold. As a result, the industry is experiencing staff shortages. Up to 150,000 trained IT professionals are needed by 2018 but we need twice that amount. This problem is compounded by the ‘demographic hole.’ Therefore, increasing the number of IT professionals in the labor market is of major concern."
The objective of reducing personnel shortages in the IT sector was discussed at a government meeting with the Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov in October 2013, which resulted in a "Strategy for the development of information technologies in the Russian Federation for 2014-2020, and up to 2025." Addressing staff shortages is among the main priorities of the strategy, which includes a road map for its implementation and other documents defining the development of the industry.
The IT industry is one Russia’s most successful sectors. A single employee creates products and services worth an average of more than 2 million rubles per year, and the entire industry increases the export of Russian IT products abroad from year to year. In 2013, exports exceeded $5 billion. To increase the development of IT products in the country and demand for them on the global market, the Ministry of Communications also plans to develop public-private partnerships, collaborate with IT companies who are involved in the retraining of personnel, leverage the potential of specialized secondary education and provide targeted support for the most promising students in the field of IT at both the primary and tertiary levels.