OREANDA-NEWS. Staff of IDGC of Centre - Belgorodenergo division performed as experts at the regional stage of the All-Russian Olympiad of professional skills under the training program for skilled workers on the Worldskills standards. 14 future electrical fitters and electricians from 9 secondary special educational institutions of the region participated in it.

The Olympiad, aimed at modernizing the regional vocational training system and raising the prestige of working trades, was held on the site of Shebekinsky agronomic handicraft college. For two days the best students of technical schools and colleges showed the jury their theoretical knowledge in the field of energy and practical skills in the ability to read wiring diagrams to understand the purpose of each type of electrical equipment, to be a master of its basic installation.

Preparation of the contestants in "Technical operation and maintenance of electrical and electromechanical equipment" was evaluated by representatives of Belgorodenergo. The jury was headed by Chief Engineer of Shebekinsky Distribution Zone Igor Stremilov.

"The young people have to mount the circuitry so that the result will be a small electric motor, placed on a laboratory bench, running," he explained. "Someone got it fast enough, and someone had to work hard. Anyway, everybody coped with the task. The guys know their business."

The power engineers drew attention to the insufficient level of the contestants in the observance of safety rules.

"The electrician profession is one of the most important in the world today. Behind reliable power supply there is hard and self-sacrificing work of power engineers. It is important to make this work safe. Such events - this is an important step on the way of becoming real experts in their field," stressed Igor Stremilov.

The same opinion is shared by a member of the jury, a consultant of Regional HR Policy Institute Alina Zhernovaya. In her view, professional competitions and contests help assess the overall state of preparation of representatives of working professions, and children realize the importance and necessity of the chosen specialty. As for the Worldskills movement, it is in practice raises the prestige of working professions.

According to a student of Shebekinsky agronomic handicraft college Denis Belomaz, tasks of the competition were not easy, but doable. "Mount the circuitry turned out to be the hardest thing, especially since the condition was with a twist", says Denis. "As a result, having considered all as it should, I solved the puzzle, and was able to assemble a workable circuit."

In addition to the expert support, the power engineers helped in carrying out the practical part of the event. The young people mounted the circuitry on laboratory benches with electrotechnical equipment, provided by the Distribution Zone: switchgear, cables, starters, and cable termination equipment. So the whole workshop was as close to reality as possible. And how actually the power engineers work, which conditions are created for the staff and what responsibility they have to supply power to companies and the public the students and teachers learned by visiting the premises of Shebekinsky Distribution Zone of IDGC of Centre - Belgorodenergo division. There was a round table discussion on practice-centric teaching and a fascinating tour of the enterprise.

Following the results of the Olympiad, the first place in "Technical operation and maintenance of electrical and electromechanical equipment" was taken by a student of Starooskolsky industrial-technological college Artem Tyrin. In the profession "Electrician to repair and maintenance of electrical equipment" the winner was a student of Shebekinsky agronomic handicraft college Dmitry Demchenko.

WorldSkills is an international non-profit movement that brings together 75 countries of the world, aimed at enhancing the prestige of working professions and the development of professional skills. Russia joined it in November 2014 after the establishment of "Agency of development of communities and workers "Worldskills Russia". The newly created structure is designed to provide to the economy of our country highly skilled personnel through training under modern professional standards adopted in 66 countries of the world.