OREANDA-NEWS. May 30, 2014. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) endeavours to be an open body, so advancing qualification of its specialists in competition advocacy remains a priority. For example, at FAS Education and Methodics Centre in Kazan 30 press-secretaries, representing regional FAS Offices from Siberia, Povolzhie, Russian Far East and the central Federal District, underwent training for advancing qualification.

The programme included theory and practice of work with target and reference groups of the authorities, competition advocacy, media relations, working with social media, creating presentations and printed materials; as well as a business game - linguistic quest devised specially for officers of FAS Russia.

The press-secretaries also had a unique opportunity to try on the role of a TV-correspondent and a journalist: learn about professions of those people with whom they have to work on a daily basis.

This experience will help press-secretaries understand details of media work and will facilitate more efficient relations with their representatives.

“For many of us the qualification-advancing training is a “shake-up” enabling to take a fresh look at our job, and identify new growth areas”, commented Anna Dresher, the press-secretary of Kemerovo OFAS Russia.

The Head of FAS, Igor Artemiev, welcomes participants through a telebridge. He expressed confidence that personal contribution of PR specialists in each Russian province would help in achieving a high level of FAS openness.

At the end of the training, representatives of press-services passed the final testing and were awarded certificates on advancing qualification. The second group of FAS PR specialists will undergo training on 26 - 29 May.

The “Centre for Education and Methodics” of the Federal Antimonopoly Service” Federal State Autonomous Institution was formed following instructions from the Government of the Russian Federation, upon an agreement between FAS Russia and the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan. The objective is to provide training for specialists from the antimonopoly authorities of Russia and the CIS. FAS Centre for Education and Methodics was formally opened on 12th September 2012.