MINSK, 24 August (BelTA) – The society has yet to properly appreciate the prestige of blue-collar jobs and the level of training of such specialists. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during the National Pedagogical Conference on 24 August, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that it is up to Belarusian universities and vocational schools to train personnel for the economy. “There is one criterion: effectiveness and competitive ability of educational institutions, pedagogues, and the personnel they train. We see how rapidly production methods, the structure of the economy, and labor markets change. It is a serious challenge for the vocational education system. We have an administrative mechanism for resolving this problem,” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that the Economy Ministry and the Labor and Social Protection Ministry should make projections in advance to identify professions that time and the country's economy will require and should order the personnel from the Education Ministry. “But what do we see in practice particularly when we open new enterprises? Workforce shortages,” he said.
The president is convinced that everything begins in school starting with the quality of career guidance work. “How much do we help our kids understand their calling, choose their profession for life? How active are our enterprises, which need personnel, in this process?” he wondered.
“We still see people rabidly chasing after university degrees. Kids graduate from universities and spend their entire lives finding their place. They can be dissatisfied with their salaries, their status, the distance to the office and so on. Parents and kids still underappreciate the prestige of blue-collar jobs and the level of training of such specialists,” he pointed out.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that young Belarusians, who are now being trained in vocational schools, are as competent as university students. “I saw what equipment students of an automotive industry college learn to work with when I visited the college. It is impossible to operate the equipment without the knowledge of exact sciences, without computer skills, and modern technologies. And the kids, who opted to go there, are pleased with their choice. They already earn their first ruble,” the head of state mentioned as an example.
“I am convinced that you – pedagogues, professors, ministers, who are present here – understand that the national economy relies primarily on such specialists. We have to think together what should be done to raise the prestige of these professions. It is a strategic task,” the president concluded.
