Employment roundtable held for Preparatory School students
The event took place on 17 April.
KFU was represented Timirkhan Alishev, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Olga Vershinina, Director of the International Office, Marina Larionova, Head of Medical HR at the University Clinic, and Nail Vyalshin, Head of the Center for Temporary Employment.
The invited speakers were Adelina Mursalimova, Head of the Information and Analytical Department of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Tatarstan, and Niyaz Gismatullin, Head of the Labor Migration Department of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Republic of Tatarstan. Representatives of KAMAZ – Leniza Khurmatullina, Director of the Personnel Development Department, and Irina Ankudovich, Head of the Group for Interaction with Educational Organizations – took part in the discussion.
In addition, the meeting was attended by representatives of the international offices of Kazan National Research Technological University, Kazan State Power Engineering University, and Kazan Innovative University.
Dr Alishev welcomed the audience and set the tone of the meeting, saying that the round table would be held in the form of a seminar, where the participants would share their best practices.
In his speech, he repeatedly emphasized that the main purpose of foreign students’ stay in Russia is to receive education, and labor activity should not affect the educational process in any way.
“If we take the latest statistics, 50 to 60 percent of university students are engaged in labor in one way or another, that is, they are employed. Both Russian and foreign students do work. In general, I see nothing wrong with students working somewhere. Another question is how we do it and how we synchronize work with the educational process – our main obligation,” Alishev said.
Tatarstan’s unemployment rate is less than 1 percent, and student representatives have a share in that, he said.
“Imagine if students stop working, then we will lose a large set of services. They contribute to the development of the economy of our city and our Republic. We need to make sure that these guys are protected by the law as much as possible, that they work at the most convenient time and it does not interfere with their studies,” said the Vice-Rector.
Every year from 60 to 100 foreign students undergo internship at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Tatarstan, Adelina Mursalimova said in her report. These are citizens of China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and a number of African countries. Many of the trainees aim to become ombudsmen, the speaker noted.
Among the participants of the roundtable was Larisa Kirillova, associate professor of the Department of Environmental and Labor Law and Civil Process of KFU.
“The most important thing is to enter labor relations correctly,” she emphasized.
The Associate Professor introduced the audience to labor legislation, focusing on the fact that foreign citizens enjoy the same rights as Russians, but to obtain the right to work they need to legally arrive in the Russian Federation.
Khurmatullina and Ankudovich told about the possibility of internship at KAMAZ.
“In fact, together with the employer we share such an important resource as a student’s time – the time of his stay in Russia,” Timirkhan Alishev outlined the problem.
Medicine and biology students can intern at the University Clinic, Marina Larionova told at the meeting.
“To date, 10 foreign employees work with us – citizens of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Seven of them are doctors and three are nurses,” she added.
Kazan University pays great attention to career development of students: these include career guidance events, resume championships, communication with experts within career clubs, and job marketplaces.
It is possible to study the labor market, get acquainted with current vacancies and even build a career trajectory on the Facultetus platform, Nail Vyalshin reminded.
The meeting ended with questions from international students. They were interested in the rules of migration registration, as well as questions about creating a business or launching a startup in Russia.