OREANDA-NEWS  Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the winners of the first High-Tech Championship in Veliky Novgorod. They shared their impressions of participating in the championship, told about the chosen specialties and plans for future employment.

"I congratulate you all — the history of this competition begins with you, and you are just the winners at the first step, at the first iteration of this competition. I am sure that we will continue to move along this path, we will look for the same young, talented guys, promising, able to achieve success. The fact that you have passed such a competition and are the winners is great also because these are the most interesting directions today," RIA Novosti quotes Vladimir Putin.

The President of Russia drew attention to the fact that students need to look for areas of application of the skills they study in colleges.

Student Ivan Vasilyenov asked which areas will be most in demand in the future. Vladimir Putin noted that the government will prepare a forecast of demanded specialties for the next five years.

Dmitry Shleg, a student of the Novgorod Construction College, asked a question about the renovation of college buildings, the President said that the support of the regions in this direction is being implemented. This work will continue, because the training of specialists at the college level is currently in high demand.

The Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov also took part in the meeting. Answering a question from Matvey Khrolovich, a student of the Novgorod Agrotechnical College, he said that the High-Tech Championship, as well as the Professionals Championship, will be held annually.

The High-tech Championship was held for the first time, the competitions are held in competencies, the list of which is formed on the basis of the most dynamically developing and promising areas in demand in the conditions of high-tech production, digital economy and import substitution.

In total, about five thousand people took part in the High-Tech Championship this year, including almost 300 contestants and experts, 2 thousand participants of the business program.

Among the participants of the championship from Russia were students of vocational education and school students from 14 years old who became winners or prize-winners of the events of the All-Russian Championship Movement for professional skills in a certain competence, as well as young specialists of enterprises working in a certain field or industry related to areas of competence aged 22 to 30 years.

The contestants from other countries were school students aged from 14 to 18 years; students of professional educational organizations; young specialists of enterprises engaged in professional activities in the competence profile aged from 16 to 35 years.

The federal project "Professionalism" is one of 42 initiatives of socio—economic development until 2030, which is being implemented by the decision of the President. The fedproject is aimed at synchronizing the personnel needs of enterprises with the capabilities of the secondary vocational education system (SPE) in order to develop the economy of the Russian Federation and ensure technological sovereignty.