The meeting was attended by National Council members, representatives of the Labour Ministry, the National Agency for Qualification Development, chairpersons of councils for professional qualifications, representatives of employers’ and trade unions’ associations, academic and educational organisations.
In his opening remarks, National Council President Alexander Shokhin said Moscow was to host the 3rd National Forum National System of Qualifications on December 7 and 8. An international conference will be held on the sidelines of the event on the development of qualifications’ systems around the world, as well as an awards ceremony for winners of the competition Coverage of the National System of Qualifications by Russian Media in 2017.
In his remarks, Labour and Social Protection Minister Maxim Topilin proposed a system-wide analysis of efforts to develop professional qualifications and new key performance indicators (KPIs) for the councils for professional qualifications, taking into account how the qualifications evolve and digitalisation trends in the economy.
Mr Topilin noted that under current laws, the requirement to take into account professional standards in the public sector will become mandatory starting January 1, 2020. By that time, the ministries are expected to develop roadmaps for implementing these standards.
General Director of the National Agency for Qualification Development Alexander Leibovich made a presentation on 262 professional qualifications, saying that the number of qualification assessment centres has increased substantially, with 36 percent more in the second quarter.
Participants in the meeting paid special attention to implementing professional standards in education.
Deputy Labour and Social Protection Minister Lyubov Yeltsova spoke about efforts launched in accordance with Presidential instruction to develop and update professional standards for the Union of Young Professionals (WorldSkills Russia). The list of standards for professions has been compiled and consultations held with experts from the union and representatives of the council for professional qualifications in a number of industries.
The participants also discussed matters related to the independent assessment of qualifications, the need to amend certain provisions of the Law on Education, and mechanisms for implementing professional standards in education programmes.