OREANDA-NEWS  On 25 November was announced, that being a general sponsor and со-organizer of the Information Technologies Olympiad "IT-Planet - 2008" for students of higher and secondary educational institutions, Southern Telecommunications Company (UTK) took part in the press conferences held in three large cities of the Southern federal district – Krasnodar, Rostov -on-Don and Stavropol.

The press conferences dealing with the issue "Business, government and education joint initiatives to create an information society" were actively supported by administrations of the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, the Rostov region and by the Presidential plenipotentiary in the Southern federal district . Participants of the conferences agreed that the deficiency of competent IT managers was the main problem of information technologies and telecommunications sector. The IT-Olympiad helps to solve this problem. Development of the partnership of business and education will allow it to create a regional IT-staff reserve for enterprises of the Southern federal district, including for forthcoming winter Olympic games in Sochi.

Joint implementation of the project will be useful for all parties: educational institutions will prepare qualified and necessary specialists; government will provide employment assistance for young people, business will get highly professional employees.
The first elimination stage of the Olympiad was held on-line at the site www.planet-it.ru in October. More than two thousand students from 13 regions of the Southern federal district took part in this stage. All regions of the Southern federal district participating in the Olympiad, were divided into groups A, B, C, D and E. The Krasnodar territory was traditionally the first among the regions in terms of the number of the participants. According to the results of the elimination stage, 200 students of institutions and colleges reached the second stage. More than one thousand students from 45 professional educational institutions of the Krasnodar territory and Adygeia Republic were engaged in the competition in group A.

More than 500 students from 30 educational institutions of the Rostov region and Kalmykia Republic took part in the project "IT-Planet-2008". Over 300 students from 26 educational institutions were engaged in competition in the Stavropol territory, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo – Circassia and Northern Ossetia Republics. Over 140 educational institutions of the Southern federal district passed the registration for participation in the Olympiad. 20 more educational institutions were represented by individual participants.

The Company will sum up the official results and will name the winners of the second stage as well as the best educational institutions on December 9, 2008. 24 students are to be announced winners. They will receive prizes from companies – organizers, as well as certificates for free education in the field of IT-technologies. Final competition between regional winners- participants of "IT-Planet-2008" will be held in spring of 2009 in Sochi.