Concerning social partnership in the education sphere

The author argues that Russia needs to adopt an active system of social partnership between the government and institutions of higher education. Current vocational training programs in the private sector of Russia are insufficient and cannot address the lack of qualified workers entering the workplace. Currently, whatever social support programs that are in place in Russia have partnerships only with the most major institutions in the most powerful regions. Higher educational institutions in smaller, less powerful regions also need social partnerships. The Russian government has conducted a series of public forums to discuss the questions, and proposals from those forums focused on the possibility of imitating the kinds of partnerships currently in place in the European Union. Yet given the lower standard standards of living and general education of the Russian population, the parameters of social partnerships in Russia must be set differently. These agreements must allow for a certain amount of academic freedom for institutions to draft their own academic plans, and partners should include both organs of the regional and federal government. Furthermore, the government regulation of education through these partnerships can operate indirectly, and not just directly. For example, civil, non-government institutions, such as labor unions, should also play a significant role. K. Cargill