At the National Centre RUSSIA, experts shared their experience in looking for talents in academia

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The first IT-Planet Mentors Forum, an international community of over 300,000 innovators and technology users, took place at the National Centre RUSSIA. This large-scale event concluded with a discussion on methods for identifying and developing talent in academia.

Forum participants discussed the experience of supporting promising youth within the IT-Planet Olympiad. They explored methods for conducting competitions in collaboration with employers as part of the educational process. They also highlighted the importance of applying modern technologies to discover and support talents with the participation of employers and noted the role of competitions in career guidance and preparing students for their professional futures.

"Identifying talent and creating conditions for their full development has always been one of the traditional priorities of our country's educational policy. Today, the IT-Planet Olympiad celebrates its 15th anniversary. Thank you to everyone who joined this event, thank you for being mentors and role models for students and the younger generation. I sincerely wish you success. Keep doing what you are doing, and all the best to you," said Oleg Dyachenko, Head of the Department for Interaction with Non-Profit Organizations at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia.

Denis Tsarev, author of tasks for web and mobile development and CEO of Morizo, noted that IT-Planet participants gain not only new skills but also competitive advantages valued by employers. The conditions of the Olympiad closely resemble the realities of the IT market. Young specialists learn to work in multidisciplinary teams, solve business-oriented tasks under tight deadlines, and create projects valuable to end users. All of this is highly appreciated by development companies.

Alexander Belotserkovsky, Executive Director at SberTech, shared his experience of working with educational institutions. He emphasized the importance of introducing new tools and technologies and adapting them to modern Russian realities. He also spoke about the company's own educational programs.

Daria Risukhina, Head of Training at Postgres Professional, highlighted that the competition for talent among employers includes nurturing future employees, starting from school.

The adaptation of young specialists to rapidly developing technologies is complicated by the fact that society adopts innovations almost instantaneously, while universities often lag behind in teaching them. However, Vladimir Shevchun, Head of the Department for Organizing Student Research Programs at Bauman Moscow State Technical University, stressed that it is more important to provide students with high-quality fundamental education. With a solid foundation, students will not fear the unknown, even if they face challenges they do not fully understand.

Timur Kabirov, Head of Career Development at Astra Group, discussed the training programs offered by the company and the opportunity for IT program certification. He emphasized that certification plays a crucial role in employment and career building.

The forum concluded with a formal award ceremony for outstanding mentors, as well as 34 universities and colleges whose participants achieved remarkable results over the 15 years of the Olympiad. The undisputed leader in the number of awards was Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, whose graduates won first place 11 times. In conclusion, Sergei Shalashny, Chairman of the Board at the ANO "Centre for Innovative Technology Development IT-Planet," announced the start of the sixteenth Olympiad season.

The Forum organized by the ANO "Centre for Innovative Technology Development IT-Planet" serves as a communication platform for representatives of higher and secondary professional education institutions, businesses, and government authorities. The event brought together over 300 guests from across Russia, as well as from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Among the participants were representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, leaders and staff of educational institutions, representatives of leading IT companies, as well as participants and winners of the IT-Planet Olympiad who came to support their mentors.

The IT-Planet Mentors Forum was organized with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the National Centre RUSSIA.

The National Centre RUSSIA was established by order of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to preserve the legacy of the International RUSSIA EXPO and to showcase the achievements of the country and its citizens on a permanent basis. Federal government agencies, state companies, corporations, and regions take part in the Centre’s work. The first event at the National Centre RUSSIA was the International Symposium "Inventing the Future," which welcomed more than 6,000 guests from 101 countries.

The National Centre RUSSIA is located at 14 Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, Moscow. The Centre is open from 10:00 to 20:00 every day except Monday.