Nadezhda Surova, head of the "Artificial Intelligence" project at the National Technological Initiative, has explained which areas in IT industry are popular among the younger generation and which countries are interested in Russian education.
Sputnik: What areas in the digital economy do schoolchildren and students choose?
Nadezhda Surova: We realize that the main priority now is data management – Big Data – and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The country which will become the first in creating a platform-based solution with the use of data will achieve technological superiority. Our students understand this, that is why specialties involved in Data Science are most in demand now in all areas of digital economy – IT, humanities etc. A new profession has appeared – database architect – an individual, who knows how to create a big marketplace, and define the terms of reference for development of solutions and platforms.
Sputnik: What opportunities do foreign students receive when they join program "Professionals in Digital Economy"?
Nadezhda Surova: Russian universities have always provided high-quality education and now they have adopted a new and interesting approach in learning - together with business they create joint education programs. It is essential to have such programs in IT areas. In today's world it is imperative that education is based on practice-based learning - when students combine theory and work experience, working on real business projects.
Prior to the pandemic we visited almost every country in the world and we saw how young people in America and Singapore strive to receive a degree in Russia rather than anywhere else. Chinese students are especially interested in studying IT in Russia. They really love the Russian language.
Sputnik: What qualities are necessary to work in the digital economy?
Nadezhda Surova: The citizen of tomorrow must possess three main skills. The first is systemic thinking and knowledge a person acquires when studying in a university. The second is creativity. A person should be able to come up with new cross-sectoral products. The third is responsibility and ethics. In the world of tomorrow ethics is crucial for personal growth.
Sputnik: What are the main tasks in digitalization Russia faces in the near future?
Nadezhda Surova: The main tasks are the popularization of new technologies, so that every citizen of Russia knows how to use them. It is important to constantly learn and develop. Russians need to understand that only together we will be able to achieve technological superiority and create a digital superpower, something that we and our kids will be proud of.
Online education for schoolchildren, students, teachers and young scientists across the world became the main instrument of implementation of the Digital Economy program of Russia’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) in 2019-2020. The program itself is part of a federal project called "Professionals in Digital Economy". In the middle of 2019, Rossotrudnichestvo launched 40 online platforms. More than 100,000 teachers and students from 92 countries have already undergone training, a positive experience affecting their lives in 2020 during the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.