On October 21st, an international academic conference was held in Moscow in honor of the 125th anniversary of the Russian University of Transport (MIIT). The event focused on four key themes, one of which was “The Challenges of Professional Training.” The most important challenge identified here was the acute lack of qualified personnel in the logistics industry. In particular, there is not enough talent available to meet the global economy’s demands for new roads as well as road, sea, and rail transportation.

Victoria Ponomareva

"In my presentation at the conference, I provided some brief research showing that logistics companies are in great need not only of highly qualified personnel but also new talent. The shortage of recent graduates with relevant educational qualifications grows every year. I described why it is important for companies to partner with educational institutions to attract young professionals. Such arrangements benefit both sides – the employers and the students,” said Victoria Ponomareva, HR Manager at AsstrA. “Experienced AsstrA professionals provide newcomers with valuable training opportunities and help them gain practical competencies on the job. The corporate group helps its people to develop on their chosen career paths, both horizontally and vertically. The chance to grow and develop is one of the most important advantages of working at AsstrA. Not every company is ready to grow assistants into managers.”

After the conferences, MIIT expressed interest in continuing to partner with AsstrA regarding employment and training opportunities for students and graduates. The university aims to expose students to real-life business processes – many of them based on AsstrA’s – so that they can adapt more quickly and smoothly when entering the workforce with less training required from their employers. Participation in such events expands AsstrA’s network of contacts and improves the company’s brand as an employer.