The lawyer pointed out the gaps in the higher education system
Every year, universities graduate thousands of young professionals, but the labor market greets them coldly. According to VTsIOM, about a third of graduates cannot find a job in their specialty. On August 31, lawyer, adviser to LDPR Chairman Leonid Slutsky, a finalist in the Leaders of Russia contest, told Izvestia about this. Politics" Dmitry Shatunov.
According to him, this applies not only to humanities students, who are often considered "unclaimed," but also to engineers, teachers, and other professionals whose professions, it would seem, should be in high demand.
"The problem lies in the gap between the education system and the real demands of the market. Universities provide deep theoretical knowledge, but often this knowledge becomes obsolete even before graduation. Employers are waiting for employees who are ready to join the work from the first day, rather than spending months adapting," Shatunov said.
Russian higher education faces three critical challenges that seriously affect the quality of specialist training.
University programs are updated extremely slowly — once every five years, although the labor market is transforming much more dynamically. While universities are coordinating new curricula, completely new professions are emerging, and some specialties are becoming irrelevant. Students study outdated technologies and methods that are no longer in demand by employers.
Industrial practice has become a mere formality for most students. Instead of getting real-world experience, students simply make reports, often without even visiting businesses. Graduates leave the university with diplomas, but without the practical skills necessary for work.
These problems are especially acute in regions where the need for qualified personnel is at its maximum. Young professionals are leaving en masse for large cities, as there are no high-quality retraining programs and professional development opportunities on the ground. The regions are losing precisely those people who could ensure their economic growth.
"I constantly hear similar complaints from young people: "I studied for five years, but no one takes work experience," "To get a job in my specialty, I have to pay extra for courses," "I had to go to work outside my profession, otherwise I would have been left without money," the lawyer listed.
It turns out a paradoxical situation: graduates actually pay twice. First, they spend years getting a degree, then they invest in additional courses or retraining. Many people are simply forced to look for work in related fields in order to somehow apply their knowledge.
Modern universities face a serious problem — graduates are often not ready for real work. To solve this situation, it is necessary to radically rethink the approach to education.
The expert is convinced that universities should launch accelerated practice-oriented programs lasting up to a year, which students can master simultaneously with basic education. Key elements of such programs include direct employer involvement in the creation of training courses and mandatory internships with full immersion in real-world production tasks. As a result, the graduate receives not just a diploma, but a specific specialty that allows them to start working immediately.
This approach benefits all participants in the process. Young professionals gain financial independence faster, avoiding years of searching for a suitable job. The regional economy receives trained personnel instead of people with diplomas, but without practical skills. Government investments in education are beginning to yield real returns, as graduates actually work in accordance with their specialty.
"There is a lot of talk about patriotism and the need to keep young people in the regions. But slogans and posters don't solve the problem. Young people are held back by the opportunity to realize themselves here and now — through a sought—after profession and decent work," the specialist said.
The higher education system should stop being a diploma factory, Shatunov believes. Her task is to train specialists who can immediately get involved in the business.
On May 17, Alexander Khvostov, Director of Relations with the educational community at MAXIMUM Education, told Izvestia about popular mistakes when applying to a university. According to him, choosing a university rather than a specialty can lead to disappointment in studies already in the first years. Career guidance is needed first, then a choice of profession, then a specialty, and only after that, a university.
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