Gudok (Moscow), June 18, 2010

IT IS NECESSARY TO LEARN, Ignat Vyugin

A foreign language will bring you to a post of a manager of RZD Requirements to top-ranking managers of RZD will be increased from 2011. For example, knowledge of foreign languages will become obligatory. Head of RZD Vladimir Yakunin announced this in St. Petersburg during signing of a memorandum on continuation of cooperation and strategic interaction between RZD and Stockholm School of Economics. Yakunin said, "It is important to be professional not only in engineering profession but also in ability to manage people. However, domestic engineering education in higher educational institutions was not focused on training of managers. Interaction with Stockholm School of Economics will compensate for this drawback." This year, 40 people defended the graduation projects on the basis of the school and overwhelming majority of them were middle-rank and top-ranking managers. Two of the best will receive an opportunity to have a full course of education in Stockholm. Thirty-five people passed an MBA course last year. The company pays only for 70% of education costs and the rest is paid by the employees. Yakunin explained, "This does not mean that we cannot afford education at expensive of the company but those who wish to get such education should understand its importance." According to Yakunin, the qualification provided by the educational course (it is the same as in the first year in Stockholm) will be needed by any manager. It will also be necessary to know foreign languages." Yakunin added, "This is an obligatory qualification requirement for top-ranking and middle-rank managers." Executive director of the educational program Elena Kovalenko reported that more than a half of the students of the first graduation group moved up the career ladder. Some of them received seats in the boards of directors of two subsidiaries of RZD. Some students decided to continue the education. Director of the economic service of OZD Vadim Tikhonov continued his education directly in Stockholm School of Economics according to his own initiative. Tikhonov explained, "There we communicate with specialists from various sectors: banking and gas producing. This is important experience. The fact that I graduated from an MBA program probably had an effect on my appointment on the current post." The HR department of RZD reported that 203 representatives of RZD received MBA degrees in the framework of the corporate program and 186 other promising managers of the company were studying under the business education programs in Russian and foreign schools at the beginning of the year.