And we are early installers, yes – Kommersant

The aggravation of the shortage of personnel in the radio-electronic industry is complicated by the low quality of education of employees of secondary specialties, who are trained by technical schools. Profile associations and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are asking the Ministry of Education to increase the training period by a year. Meanwhile, the shortage of specialists with secondary specialized education is already estimated at 40–60% and, according to market participants, will become worse in the near future due to the shortage of university graduates. Experts cite an imbalance in support measures as one of the reasons: graduates do not want to work in factories, but in accredited IT companies in order to receive benefits.

“Kommersant” got acquainted with the letter of the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Vasily Shpak, sent to the Ministry of Education on April 12. Referring to the appeals of industry associations that unite manufacturers of computer equipment, in particular ANO VT (unites Yadro, Element, Bulat, Aquarius, etc.) and the Beshtau company, the official asks colleagues “taking into account the shortage of qualified personnel in the field of radio electronics” to adjust educational programs for specialists in technical schools and colleges.

The fact is that in 2022, the Ministry of Education reduced the training period for radio mechanics (after the ninth grade) from three years and ten months to one year and ten months, also reducing the hours of work practice, according to the appeal of ANO VT to the Ministry of Industry and Trade dated March 28 (have “b”).

The new terms of study and the structure of the program do not allow students to “qualitatively master professional competencies,” the association claims. They consider it necessary to increase the period of preparation to two years and ten months.

The Ministry of Education assured Kommersant that they “work closely” with the federal educational and methodological association and the council for professional qualifications, which are authorized to put forward proposals for changes to the federal state educational standard: “Any innovations undergo public discussion and peer review.” The Ministry of Industry and Trade and ANO VT did not answer “Kommersant”.

With the current terms of study, students, if we subtract preparation for exams and vacations, have only seven months left to obtain theoretical and practical knowledge, Oleg Osipov, General Director of Beshtau, emphasizes: “This period is not enough not only to gain work skills at the enterprise, but even to learn how to hold a soldering iron.

The top manager adds that in recent decades, educational institutions have not trained enough specialists of secondary specialties, which is why an “age gap” has formed. Now there are either poorly trained employees under the age of 20, or already experienced specialists, but over 40 years old, he says: “There is practically no middle ground.”

At the beginning of 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Trade in one of the reports estimated the shortage of production personnel in radio electronics (circuit board assemblers, adjusters, assembly line operators) at the level of 40–60%, says a Kommersant source in a Russian electronics manufacturer. The GS Group confirms the shortage of specialists, adding that “the numbers are realistic.”

The range of 40–60% “more or less” reflects the situation, but, given the prospects for expanding the range of locally produced devices, it looks underestimated, according to F + tech, estimating the shortage of personnel in a number of specialties at 80–90%. The industry is in dire need of circuit engineers, assemblers, technologists, adjusters of assembly lines, says Mikhail Volkov, CEO of F+ tech.

The personnel issue and state support are also very important in microelectronics, they admit in Micron: “We see an example of such support now in the IT sphere. If decisive systemic measures are not taken, the problem will worsen.” The personnel crisis in the industry may worsen in the next few years precisely because of the imbalance in support measures for specialists, Arseniy Brykin, CEO of the Basis consortium, warns: “Today, university students studying in technical specialties are more likely to find a job in an IT company than in enterprises, developing electronics, as they are interested in receiving a wide package of benefits from the Ministry of Digital Development”.

Nikita Korolev