The CASE-IN Championship named the best youth engineering teams of 2020!

The final took place on September 10-11 The International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" − one of the projects of the presidential platform "Russia is a land of opportunityOver 500 participants representing 133 teams competed for the title of the best engineering team. The winners were 38 contestants from 14 regions of Russia. The award ceremony was held in Moscow at the NUST MISIS site.

This year, the final of the CASE-IN championship was held in a mixed format: online and offline. The participants defended the cases remotely, and the speakers and moderators were on the competition site in Moscow at NUST MISIS.

Rector of NUST MISIS Alevtina Chernikova, Welcoming the finalists, he stressed that the university has been a co-organizer and an active participant in the championship since 2014.: "Working with cases gives our students a great opportunity to put into practice the knowledge, skills and competencies they have acquired at the university, and try their hand at solving real production problems developed by experts from leading Russian industry companies. I am sure that for many participants, the CASE-IN championship will be the starting point for a successful career in business or science."

Before the start of the final, the participants were greeted by the Director General of ANO "Russia – the land of opportunities" Alexey Komissarov. He noted that "133 teams will compete for prizes.». «And there are a lot of prizes: the winners and champions will receive not only internships and internships, but also the opportunity to enroll in a master's or postgraduate program without entrance tests. And the best young specialists will join the managerial personnel reserve of their companies. In addition, the guys have the opportunity to be mentored by the "Leaders of Russia" – semi-finalists, finalists and winners of our flagship project. This is the third year in a row that we have been conducting this program together with our Senezh Management Workshop.».

The final was opened by the ceremony of inclusion in the "CASE-IN" Hall of Fame of new members who have made a significant contribution to the work of the Championship during the "Technological Modernization" season. The CASE-IN Hall of Fame included participants, experts and organizers representing the National Research University "MEI", Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Institute of Innovative Design and Technological Entrepreneurship INPROTECH of St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University "LETI", Northeastern State University, Kuzbass State Technical University named after T. F. Gorbachev, The North Caucasus Mining and Metallurgical Institute, as well as the Branch of JSC "SO UES" "ODU of the South".

On the first day of the "CASE-IN" finals, a plenary session was also held, where the heads of partner companies of the championship discussed issues of youth work and recruitment against the background of the pandemic.

Dmitry Zavrazhny, Director of the Corporate University of Hydropower Engineering of PJSC RusHydro, Natalia Petukhova, Head of the Personnel Selection and Development Center at ALROSA, and Deputy Director of Personnel Management at JSC SO UES shared their experience in organizing remote work in the company  Pavel Sharypanov, Head of the Employer's Brand Development, Recruitment and HR Communications Practice at SIBUR LLC Valentina Chernykh, Head of the Corporate Culture and Youth Policy Development Department at the Human Resources Department of PJSC Tatneft Oksana Sadrieva, Head of the Department for Work with Educational Institutions and Methodological Support  Mycromine Rus LLC Grigory Fedotov and Natalia Pichugina, Head of HR Department at Grinatom JSC.

The main event of the first day was the defense of engineering case solutions.

The Student League case studies were defended in seven industry areas: geological exploration, mining, metallurgy, oil and gas, petrochemistry, electric power industry, and digital atom. In separate finals, 19 teams of the League of Young Professionals and 6 teams of the Special League of PJSC "T Plus" met.

The ideas of the teams were evaluated by several reputable expert commissions consisting of managers and specialists from industry companies of the fuel and energy complex and MSK, including: JSC SO UES, PJSC AK ALROSA, PJSC Tatneft, PJSC NOVATEK, PJSC SIBUR Holding, GC ROSATOM, PJSC FGC UES", LLC "Mycromine Rus", PJSC "NLMK", JSC "Siberian Anthracite", United Company "RUSAL", LLC "Raspadskaya Coal Company", LLC "Siberian Generating Company", LLC "COMPANY "CREDO-DIALOG", PJSC "RusHydro", LLC "IBM Montan", Schlumberger Company, Severstal Management JSC and others.

The second day of the final was devoted to meetings with employers and master classes.

The point of attraction was the Career Day – each of the finalists was able to communicate with representatives of 10 largest companies in Russia.: JSC SO UES, PJSC FGC UES, JSC Siberian Anthracite, JSC ALROSA (PJSC), UC RUSAL, PJSC Tatneft, PJSC SIBUR Holding, GC ROSATOM, PJSC NLMK and the Schlumberger Company.

The culmination of the second day was the summing up of the championship results and the awarding of champions and prize-winners.

Honorary guest of the "CASE-IN" final, President of the Interregional Public Organization "Academy of Mining Sciences", President of the Vernadsky State Geological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Malyshev  He recalled that the first finals of the championship were held at the site of the State Geological Museum.: «It's amazing how quickly the championship has grown into a powerful international competition. Today "CASE-IN"There are a lot of talented students, a real forge of personnel, where we find specialists for the mining industry."

Deputy Minister of Energy Anton Inyutsyn He noted that in a few years the championship has become an authoritative educational platform, well-known in the regions of Russia and industry universities. "CASE-IN participants have become the core of many federal youth projects supported by the Ministry of Energy, including the #Together Brighter Festival, Open Days at industry companies, and many others. The activity of the guys in these projects creates a powerful positive information background, which motivates young people to come to the energy industry.", – commented the representative of the department.

«All of our finalists have proven themselves to be experienced and creative experts in their field. The tasks they faced were not easy, but they all coped. For example, 11 universities competed in the Digital Atom Student League, and he will take the title of champion with him to Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after R.E. Alekseev, The Big Bang Theory team. By the way, in the new season we will launch a new special league "ECO-CASE". Its future participants will have to develop solutions for the environmental safety and economic efficiency of nuclear power plants.", – said the head of the department for cooperation with partners Anton Serikov.

According to the Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs By Andrey Platonov The CASE-IN championship helps schoolchildren, students and specialists to communicate with representatives of the largest Russian corporations, and the joint solution of cases within the framework of the championship allows us to make the study of complex branches of science not only easy and accessible, but also interesting. "As a result of the event, many of the participants may receive an invitation to work or internship, or enroll in graduate and postgraduate studies without entrance exams. This provides an opportunity to gain experience, new knowledge and interesting new acquaintances, which, in turn, is of great value in shaping a young person's professional path.", – said Andrey Platonov.

The winners of the Student League were the 3 best teams in each industry area. So, in the direction of "Geological exploration" The bronze medal was won by the Heavy Metal team of St. Petersburg Mining University (St. Petersburg), the second place was awarded to the GeoModern team of the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State Geological Exploration University (Moscow). The title of Champion was awarded to the team "Favorit" of the National Research Tomsk State University (Tomsk).

"The most important experience was gaining the skill to manage your time wisely in order to leave time for studying, developing solutions, and preparing for defense. I had to work in a constant time pressure mode. This was the most difficult task, and after overcoming it, we gained invaluable information about time management, as well as learned how to manage with a minimum.", - tell the champions from TSU.

In the field of Mining, the Commune team of the National Research Technological University MISIS (Moscow) took the third place, the Vakhta team of the Ural State Mining University (Yekaterinburg) took the second place, and the Union of Mining Engineers team of the Irkutsk National Research Technical University (Irkutsk) took the first place.

In the Metallurgy field, the Ox-Red team, the UMMC Technical University (Verkhnyaya Pyshma), took the third place, while the Stilgix team, the National Research Technological University MISiS (Moscow), won silver. The Steel case team of Lipetsk State Technical University (Lipetsk) is recognized as the leader.

In the field of Oil and Gas business, the GEOIL team and Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University (Kazan) complete the top three, while Teamliquid won the second place,  St. Petersburg Mining University (St. Petersburg). The "True sight" team of Tyumen State University (Tyumen) holds the gold medal.

In the field of Petrochemistry, the bronze medal was awarded to the Engineers of the Future team at the Dzerzhinsky Polytechnic Institute (branch) R.E. Alekseev NSTU (Dzerzhinsk), the IdLab team of Kazan National Research Technological University (Kazan) is in second place. The Petroleumnye team of Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies (Voronezh) became the champion.

"During the preparation of the final solution, we demonstrated and improved teamwork skills, gained experience in finding optimal solutions to tasks, applying competencies acquired both at the university and independently", - the winners from VGUIT comment.

In the Digital Atom direction, the Satellites team took the third place, Bauman Moscow State Technical University In second place is the SkillUp team, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow). The first place was taken by the "Big Bang Theory" team of the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after R.E. Alekseev (Nizhny Novgorod).

In the field of "Electric Power Industry", the third place was awarded to the team "ABCN", Irkutsk National Research Technical University (Irkutsk), the second place went to the team "Tomsk Machines", National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University (Tomsk). The title of the Championship was awarded to the WeWatt team of St. Petersburg Mining University (St. Petersburg). 

"During the qualifying stage, the team was faced with the task of using composite materials at the hydroelectric power plant. This is a fresh trend in the electric power industry, which is more related to the field of materials science, so the team has done a lot of work on studying composites and implementing them at every stage of the life cycle of hydraulic structures. This is the great value of the championship – getting to know new trends and technologies in the industry, solving non-trivial tasks and constantly expanding your horizons and competencies."- St. Petersburg students share their impressions.

CEO of Mikroman RUS LLC Boris Kurtsev He stressed that the current "CASE-IN" was held at a difficult time, but based on the results shown by the finalists, we can conclude that this is a special championship.:

"Proving something through a camera is twice as difficult, especially since the championship has been a powerful brand in the employer market for three or four years. Now you don't even need certificates: if a person took part in "CASE-IN"and, moreover, I reached the final and won it — this is already an indicator, I want to work with such a specialist. These are not empty words, we are attentive to the guys who have passed "CASE-IN"This year we participated in the preparation of assignments for the areas of Exploration and Mining. Next year, after doing some work on the errors, we will ask our partners, representatives of mining enterprises, to participate more actively in creating cases and, most importantly, in evaluating them, so that there is a closer link between the participants of the championship and industry experts. companies. «CASE-IN"It creates miners, geologists, oilmen, and power engineers of the future, and Russia needs such specialists. We live in difficult times, and when you win a Championship, you have to understand that you take responsibility along with the title."

Head of the Personnel Selection and Development Center at ALROSA Natalia Petukhova She added that the new competition format, although somewhat unusual, did not frighten either the guys themselves or the representatives of the companies.

"The burning eyes that we saw on the screen during the case defense prove that the participants gained significant experience and adequately coped with the tasks assigned to them. Our experts see value in the solutions offered by the participants of the championship, which means that "CASE-IN" This is not a competition for the sake of a competition, but an opportunity to prove yourself and offer innovative solutions. Last year's graduates "CASE-IN"Those who have completed internships with us have shown very good results, and some have decided to become our employees. This year, worthy universities have won, and we, in turn, want to invite the champions of the Mining and Exploration fields for an internship. Come visit us in remote parts of the country – Mirny, Udachny, Aikhal. I hope you enjoy it there, and you will be able to give a twist to your talent."

Director of the Information Technology Department of Rosatom State Corporation Evgeny Abakumov He stressed that the Digital Atom direction is a symbiosis of a hackathon and case studies.

"This opportunity to prove yourself is very important, — the expert believes. — For the second time, Rosatom has become a partner. "CASE-INThis year, we presented a case study on maintenance and repair management, which was developed jointly by experts from a number of our enterprises. For us, it was not just some kind of passing work, we really put our soul, heart and mind into this case and its solution. We will be glad to invite the guys to join us for an internship and to work, especially since we are opening a number of new internship projects for digital specialists in different cities of Russia – Tomsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and we are waiting for the finalists in our integrator IT- projects of "Greenatom". The Digital Atom direction is no longer just a nomination, it is also an opportunity to get an internship in the field of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics at our company "Digitum".

This year, NOVATEK supported the Championship for the first time and took an active part in the qualifying stages. Director of the HR Department of PJSC NOVATEK Yuri Korneev He noted that despite all the difficulties associated with the pandemic in 2020, the "CASE-IN" was successfully held in a new format.

"The guys who took part in the Oil and Gas business were solving the case of "LNG diversification or gas chemistry". There were really interesting works, our experts participated in all the qualifying stages., — he comments. — I want to congratulate the finalists, reaching the finals is already a big victory. Those who want to continue developing in the field of LNG are invited to the Master's program "Cryogenic Technologies and Equipment of the Gas Industry" at Gubkin Russian State University in order to subsequently join NOVATEK.

Director of the Department of State Youth Policy of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Denis Ashirov In turn, he invited the participants of the Student League to join the new programs of the Ministry of Education and Science, which allow students to find jobs as mentors for gifted and talented schoolchildren, and graduates of 2020 to join the research teams of their universities.

In the League of Young Specialists, the third place was taken by the NIPAGASNewWave team, NIPIGAZ JSC (Tyumen), the Technogics team of the Gazprom Neft Scientific and Technical Center (St. Petersburg) won silver, and the Smart Upgrade team of SIBUR-Neftekhim JSC (the city of Dzerzhinsk).

Albina Labashova, Director, Human Resources Management, SIBUR LLC, tells:  "For SIBUR, supporting the Case in Championship in three leagues at once, school, student and youth, is an opportunity to build an effective system model for the search, selection and training of talents from all over the country. By constantly improving operational efficiency and implementing digital solutions, the company actively attracts new employees, including about 500 young professionals annually. In addition to deep professional expertise, engineers of the future must also develop soft skills - working effectively in cross-functional teams, addressing problems systematically and using data to make decisions. Participation in such championships as Case in helps to find such trained specialists in the labor market, because this is a point of attraction for talents from the professional community. Thus, by the end of 2019, 36 students completed internships at the company's enterprises, and 30 then got a job.

SIBUR's work during the 2020 season has brought valuable benefits – we have managed to increase the engagement and interest in the Championship among employees who participated in the League of Young Professionals. Their efforts were marked by the company's first victory in the finals. Congratulations to the SIBUR-Neftekhim company team from Dzerzhinsk." 

In the Special League of PJSC "T Plus", the "bronze" went to the team "Vladimir Ivanovich" of the Vladimir branch of PJSC "T Plus" (Vladimir), the second place went to the team "Gorky STeam" of the Nizhny Novgorod branch of PJSC "T Plus" (Nizhny Novgorod). The champion was the team "Non-random people" of the Udmurt branch of PJSC "T Plus".

"It is only through aspiration and perseverance that the cherished goal of Victory is achieved! The main benefit of the CASE-IN championship is the self–development of young professionals, the desire to broaden their horizons, put their knowledge into practice, and try their hand at solving the global task of developing the fuel and energy complex."- tell the young specialists from Izhevsk.

According to the Deputy General Director for Production and Construction, Chief Engineer of PJSC T Plus Denis Ulanov The participants of the special league of PJSC "T Plus" solved the problems of heat supply in such a conservative industry as energy very interestingly, vividly and from a modern point of view.

"By participating in the Championship, the guys improve their engineering skills, develop such personal qualities as system analysis, critical thinking, and creativity. All this will be useful to them for solving work tasks in the future.,  — Denis Ulanov noted. - The ideas proposed by the finalist teams of the special T Plus league will be accepted into the investment study."

The championship is important not only for active youth who want to prove themselves, but also for employers, says the Head of the Department for the Development of Corporate Culture and Youth Policy of the Human Resources Department of PJSC Tatneft Oksana Sadrieva:

"We see huge opportunities here, as we not only have access to the best and most promising staff, but also the opportunity to train our employees at these events. Everything that we see at the championship, we continue to broadcast in our work when organizing events, when working with universities, when conducting career guidance with schoolchildren. Tatneft is a platform of opportunities, so I hope we will meet with the CASE-IN finalists very soon. We will do everything to unleash their talent to the fullest and become a team.", — Oksana Sadrieva noted.

In 2020, as part of the Energy of Education award, the CASE-IN organizing committee established a special Digital Adaptation nomination to highlight the effectiveness of online translation of the qualifying stages of the university championship. Eight higher educational institutions were awarded: Saratov State Technical University named after Yuri Gagarin, St. Petersburg State University of Economics, North Caucasus Mining and Metallurgical Institute, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Kazan State Power Engineering University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, National Research University "MEI", Russian State University of Petroleum and Gubkin gas.

According to the founder and co-chairman of the organizing committee of the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" Artyom KorolevThe main season of "CASE-IN", despite the rapid transition to online, brought together more than 4,000 participants: "The next high point is the Autumn Championship Cup for schoolchildren, students and young professionals and the special ECO-CASE league. Thus, by the end of the year, over 10,000 people will be involved in solving engineering cases.".