The President of the Republic of Tatarstan Made a Working Visit to the KFU Branch in Naberezhniye Chelny

Today the President of our Republic, Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov, Rector of KFU, Mr. Ilshat Gafurov, Director General of KAMAZ, OJSC, Mr. Sergey Kogogin, visited the KFU Branch in Naberezhniye Chelny. At the present time 12 thousand students and 156 post-graduate students study and 1829 employees work in this Institute. Training here is provided in 24 fields referred, mainly, to technical spheres.

The President of the RT recommended the institute to review extra-mural training methods, introduce interactive training for extramural students along with evening classes. In Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov’s opinion, a traditional extramural training cannot ensure high-quality teaching, especially for technical specialities.

The President was shown a new building of a Resource Centre of the Institute – a training and laboratory building located at KamPI stop. The building with the total area of 7700 square metres has 16 lecture halls and 14 rooms for practical and laboratory sessions. On the basis of this centre the KFU Branch in Naberezhniye Chelny is planning to organize training according to special programs developed in collaboration with automakers. KAMAZ, OJSC offered to arrange a Higher school of automobile engineering on the basis of the Institute. This school will train specialists according to new branch standards.

“Here we need to create a strong engineering university of the European level,” concluded the President of Tatarstan.

As was advised to the President by Mr. Sergey Kogogin, “the departments training graduating students must reproduce the life cycle of automobile equipment: economics and marketing at the stage of idea, project design cycle, industrial engineering, technologies and engineering logistics and operation cycle. It has been offered to unite resources of the two important engineering faculties of KFU – the automation and technologies and motor-car construction faculties – and create a higher school of automobile engineering on their basis. It could accurately reproduce life cycle of an automobile product and implement those academic programs which are of demand in the market.”

Two years ago KAMAZ, OJSC developed 12 professional branch standards determining the essence of new professions. The plant representatives expressed their wish to consider them when training students. The following professions can be named among these new ones: motor-car construction designer, automotive designer, specialist in aggregate assembling and others.

The Institute authorities told the President that 1814 students from other towns needed dormitories. The decision taken during the meeting was to lease one of the buildings located nearby for this purpose.