In the Vitebsk district, training for worker specialties for the gas service started for the first time.
At the Vitebsk State Agrarian Technical College (VGATK), students have been enrolled for the first time this year in vocational specialties for the gas service. How the training of future fitters is going, what guarantees the employer provides, and what the prospects of this direction in the college are, was explained to a BELTA correspondent by the head of the educational institution, Alexander Yakubov.
The group, where students are trained as fitters for servicing and repairing both gas-using equipment and external gas pipelines, was opened thanks to the initiative of the Vitebsk Regional Gas Company (Vitebskoblgaz). Together with the main department of education of the regional executive committee, it was decided that VGATK would be a good educational base for the new specialties. "The enterprise provided us with the necessary equipment for the educational laboratories, and the main department of education helped with the repairs in the production workshops. This year we have enrolled 26 people, and all of them will be provided with jobs in the structure of Vitebskoblgaz. Currently, students are mastering the secondary education program, and from next year they will study specialized disciplines. Gas service specialists will conduct practical classes with the students at the training center in Novka, where a training ground with all the modern equipment used by gas workers in their daily work has been created. In addition to the two specializations for fitters, graduates of this group will also receive category C driver's licenses," the college director informed.
Since the beginning of the year, Vitebskoblgaz has already invited students for excursions, creative competitions, and professional skill contests, and in the future, the enterprise will closely cooperate with the college in training personnel.
Training in the new specialty takes 2 years and 10 months. Students will study the fitter profession according to the standard program for this profession, and then they will be trained in the specifics of working with gas equipment. "The mandatory internship will last one year. It is already noticeable that many will remain in the profession because the students made their choice consciously, understanding that they are entering a new specialty. They all studied in advance where they would apply, and here they were told what work they would be doing after receiving their diploma, and they have high motivation in their studies," Alexander Yakubov explained.
Among the students studying in the new specialty, there is also a girl. Anastasia Tunkel is from Vitebsk. She chose this unusual profession for her gender herself. "I like working with machines and programming. When I was looking for where to apply, I saw an announcement on the website that there was a recruitment for a new specialty at VGATK, and I decided to give it a try. I think after college I will go to university, but I may need to additionally obtain a secondary vocational education for that. So far, I like studying, and I think I will cope with all the tasks on par with the guys; I do not expect any leniency for myself, I want to master this interesting profession," she shared.
Anastasia added that her parents, upon learning of her intention to enroll in this college, asked only one question: "Can you handle it?" And the girl assured them that she would do everything possible to be among the best.
Kiril Vasilevsky, a native of Senno, also took the risk of enrolling in the new specialty. He lives in a dormitory and receives three meals a day for free, like all out-of-town students. The young man is very satisfied with the conditions created in the college and the dormitory, and he plans to connect his life with the chosen profession. "None of my relatives work in the gas industry, so I will be the first. This is a promising field with a stable salary, so I think I will firmly establish myself in it. I would like to return to Senno and work there in the district department of Vitebskoblgaz to be closer to home," he noted.
Alexander Yakubov said that the employer plans to train workers for five consecutive graduations. "We have been heard in other regions, and inquiries are already coming from Mogilev and Gomel, but we will first provide personnel for our region. I believe that Vitebskoblgaz is an example of an enterprise that makes the right investment in personnel replenishment and cooperation with educational institutions, and such a system of training specialists will give them a good reserve of workers, as they will receive about 150 people who will be guaranteed to work in the system over five graduations," emphasized the college director.
Photo by Alexander Khitrov