Exercise 2. Summarise your ideas. Choose a person to present them in a 1 minute speech.

Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Match a word in A with a word in B. Give synonyms for the words in A.

 

A	B
	initiative	a	a specified state of growth or advancement
	domestic	b	a planned series of future events or performances within the process of learning the skills that you need for a particular job or activity
	curricular	c	an act or strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation
	development	d	once a year
	national	e	existing inside a particular country; not foreign or international
	training programme	f	An organized group of people who discuss topics fairly formally, putting forward different views.
	annually	g	a person or organization that employs people
	debating society	h	the period of time when a student or trainee works, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification
	extracurricular	i	a person undergoing training for a particular job or profession
	trainee	j	a person employed for wages or salary
	employer	k	relating to a nation; common to a whole nation
	employee	l	activities for students that are not part of their course
	internship	m	related to subjects comprising a course of study in a university, college or school

Exercise 2. Translate the verbs into Russian. Use their explanations to understand the meanings. Use these verbs to make your own sentences.

	get up	become strong
	take part in	to participate in
	to be responsible for	having an obligation to do something
	work for	be employed by a specific organisation
	find out	learn something that you did not already know, especially by making a deliberate effort to do so.
	focus on	concentrate all one's attention on a particular object or activity
	depend on	be controlled or determined by somebody or something

 

Reading and translation

Exercise 1. Read about the Presidential TrainingInitiative. What information have you found the most useful or important?

Aboutthe Presidential TrainingInitiative

Since 1997 the Presidential Training Initiative for young professionals (engineers and managers) has been implemented. The Presidential Decree of July, 23, 1997 (known abroad as the Presidential T raining Initiative) approved the State Plan for training young professionals for national economy of the Russian Federation. Successful results of implementation of the Initiative and its high performance made it possible to prolong training programmes until nowadays. The strategic objective of the Initiative is to get management in domestic companies up to international standards. The Presidential Training Initiative is considered to be an instrument of development of young employees who can help to revive the national economy.

Within the Initiative over 5.000 engineers and managers have 500-600 hour training courses covering engineering, management, marketing and finance in more than 100 leading Russian universities annually. The participants can take part in internships with Russian and foreign companies when graduate the basic stage of training.

The federal budget institution Federal Resource Centre on Organisation of Management Training for Enterprises of the National Economy of the Russian Federation (FRC) is responsible for the Initiative implementation. The Presidential Training Initiative is being realised in 77 Russian regions with the help of regional commissions and regional resource centres.

Today about 60.000 trainees are studying in Russian universities within the Initiative as well as about 12.000 of Russian young engineers and managers are taking part in internships.

Goals and tasks

The Presidential Training Initiative gives participants a wide range of opportunities.

For domestic companies the Initiative helps:

- to create serious preconditions for transition to new forms and principles of management;

- to make positive changes in structures of management, production and corporate culture;

- to find out solutions for practical problems of domestic companies while trainees are taking part in foreign internship;

- to establish new business contacts with Russian and foreign enterprises;

- to develop business relations with the present partners;

- to be included in the Federal Information Database to provide additional opportunities for participation in competitions for federal contracts and mobilise investments.

For young professionals the Initiative helps:

- to take part in elite training programmes and get competitive knowledge;

- to take part in internships with the leading Russian and foreign companies;

- to establish business relations with Russian and foreign colleagues;

- to be includedinto the Federal Information Database (Highly QualifiedLabour Potential Section);

- to become members of the Association of Graduates of the Initiative;

- to improve the level of English language.

The strategic goal of the Initiativeis to develop management of a company in order to become more competitive and effective in the domestic or global market.

The tasks of the Initiative are the following:

- to train about 5.000 young professional in Russian universities annually;

- to train about 3.000 young professional in leading Russian and foreign companies annually (internships);

- to implement young professionals’ projects.

The Presidential Training Initiative stages

Stage 1. Competition

Stage 2. Training

Training of young professionals in Russian universities according to the following training programmes:

Project-oriented training programmes (A-level or advanced) cover professional retraining of young engineers and managers within the enlarged groups of trainees. The studies are focused on the development of trainees’ managerial skills by preparation and presentation of projects. The A-level programme takes about 550 periods or academic hours.

Basic-level training programmes (B-level) cover professional retraining of young engineers and managers within the enlarged groups of trainees. The studies are focused on the development of trainees’ managerial skills by curricular and extracurricular (a debating society membership) activities under the leadership of experienced tutors. The B-level programme takes about 550 periods or academic hours.

Qualification-level training programmes (Q-level) cover professional training of young engineers and managers according to “An enterprise development” and “Innovative Management” programmes. The trainees will learn how to create and develop their own business in the innovative sector of economy. The studies are focused on a business project creation with presentation of a business plan. The Q-level programme takes about 550 periods or academic hours.

Stage 3. Internship

The best graduates get the choice for 3 weeks to 12-month internships with leading Russian and foreign companies making by competitive examination. The length of internship depends on its format and a country – USA, EU (Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France) and Japan.

Financing

The Initiative is financed by federal budget of the Russian Federation, universities’ grants, budgets of “sending” companies (employers). Trainees also may pay for their participation.

The government pays for:

- methodological support of a competition procedure;

- young professionals training at Russian universities (66 % of total costs);

- organisation of internships in leading domestic and foreign companies;

- Federal Resource Centre and authorised organisations activity;

- consulting trainees by leading Russian economists and engineers.
Employers pay for:

- training in Russian universities (34 % of total costs);

- travel allowance;

- renting of accommodation for trainees during their studies and internship within the Russian Federation.

Trainees pay for:

- participation in a competition (in case of failing federal or “sending” companies financing);

- training in Russian universities (34 % of total costs in case of failing federal or “sending” companies financing);

- foreign language courses.