Where do engineers want to work? TOP 10 employers of fuel and energy complex and MSK

Modern young people are ambitious, far-sighted and know well what they want from life.  Already on the student's or even school bench, they not only develop professional skills, but also carefully choose a future employer.

The participants of the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" are no exception - competitions during which students, schoolchildren and young specialists solve engineering cases, and schoolchildren, in addition to cases, design technical devices, make layouts and develop graphical and web interfaces. The CASE-IN Championship is an industry project covering the topics of fuel and energy and mineral resource complexes, the nuclear industry and related industries.  Each year, the championship is dedicated to a specific theme, in 2021 it is "Sustainable Development".

Where do future engineers want to work? Every year, the organizers of the CASE-IN championship ask themselves this question and find out from the participants how they see the company of their dreams - their future employer.

"The example of several thousand project participants proves that the championship is a ticket to the future, allowing you to move up the career ladder, find your dream job and become a true professional., - says the founder and co-chairman of the organizing committee of the CASE-IN championship  Artem Korolev, - At the end of each season, we traditionally ask the finalists about how prepared they are for professional activity and which employers of the Fuel and Energy Complex and MSK they are interested in."

In 2021, 432 people participated in a survey on students' expectations from industry companies.  The most active students were power engineers - 111 people. 59 oil workers, 54 mining engineers, 50 IT specialists, 42 design engineers, 42 future specialists in the petrochemical industry, as well as 39 metallurgists and 37 geologists also shared their opinions.

More than half of the survey participants are 3rd and 4th year students, who traditionally make up the bulk of both the championship participants and the finalists.

In the "Sustainable Development" season, a three-stage competition system was introduced for the first time: the qualifying stage at the university - the semi-final in the federal district - the final in Moscow, while the task of the case became more complicated as it progressed from the qualifying stage to the final. This made it possible to attract 1st- 2nd year students who formed teams more boldly, tried their hand at the level of the qualifying stages and gained experience. As a result, the junior teams managed to make it to the finals, and 10% of those surveyed by the organizing committee were 1st and 2nd year students.

CASE-IN's partners are more than 50 Russian universities that train engineers in the fields of fuel and energy complex, MSC and nuclear industry. The participants of the championship have no doubts about their alma mater. 70% are convinced that their university trains qualified and in-demand specialists, 62% note the high demand for graduates from industry employers, and 72% of finalists believe that the university has strong ties with the industry and provides a variety of internship options.

"It is logical that the vast majority of finalists are confident in their preparation: 83% expect an average score of at least 4.5 in their diploma, 32% speak English at the intermediate level, and 76% expect a starting salary of 40 – 70,000 rubles., - says Artem Korolev, "Nevertheless, 34% of students consider the demand for graduates of their university to be average, and 28% of respondents believe that their university should provide future specialists with more knowledge."

The championship's partner companies operate in almost all regions of Russia from Magadan to Murmansk and consider ambitious candidates from a wide variety of universities. Realizing this, future specialists are ready for relocation.: 71% of the CASE-IN finalists agree to move to another region if the place of work meets their expectations.

At the same time, the opinions of future engineers about providing housing for interns and young professionals were equally divided: 48% of respondents expect housing from an employer, and for 48% corporate housing is a desirable but not mandatory option.

All these data vividly illustrate the specific stories of our participants., - tells  Executive Director of the Championship  Olga Zubok, - Thus, the silver medalist of the 2020 CASE-IN in the field of Electric power engineering, Yulia Pitko, joined the energy group and the School–University–Enterprise program at the Lyceum for Gifted Children at the North Caucasus Federal University in Stavropol back in 2012. Then she completed a double specialized Master's degree program at the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University and simultaneously interned at the branch of JSC SO UES An ODE to Siberia. Yulia currently works at the branch of JSC SO UES  Regional Dispatching Department of the power system of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Tyva: she was well known in the company due to her studies and participation in the championship and was immediately invited to join the team.

Ilya Ovchinnikov, the 2018 CASE-IN champion in the field of Geological Exploration, graduated from the Ural State Mining University in Yekaterinburg and moved to the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).  and he works as the head of the laboratory of geological and geophysical assessment at the Scientific Research Geological Enterprise ALROSA (PJSC).

Ivan Morozov, a graduate of the M.I. Platov South Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI) in Novocherkassk, the 2016 CASE-IN champion in the field of Electric Power engineering He started his career in the Branch of JSC SO UES ODE to the South in Pyatigorsk. Having established himself, Ivan joined the executive staff of JSC SO UES in Moscow.

During the qualifying stages and in the finals, students strive to prove themselves to the maximum in order to receive invitations to leading companies. The vast majority of students (92%) expect to pay for an internship or internship. At the same time, 55% of the participants are ready to pay for travel to their place of work or practice without the participation of their employer.

In the final of the main season, the champions of the "Oil and Gas business" direction are students   St. Petersburg Mining University, representatives of the OGTeam team, Boris Seregin, Diana Lvova, Alexey Vasiliev and Vasily Smirnov, received a special prize - an invitation to a paid internship from PJSC YATEK. "We came to the championship to prove that we are able to solve the tasks set for us in the most efficient and optimal way, and, in fact, we proved it. Working under conditions of uncertainty, we were able to propose a solution that interested the representatives of the companies. Thanks to the Championship, we managed to get to know the company better. We will be happy to go to practice in the heart of Yakutia's gas industry, the village of Kysyl–Syr." - Boris Seregin commented on the team's victory. 

SIBUR also holds its own competition for potential interns, which includes CASE-IN winners: a paid internship takes place twice a year, lasts for 6 months, and in case of high results, an intern can be recommended for a permanent position in the staff if vacancies are available.

For the third year in a row, ROSATOM State Corporation has been developing a case for participants in the Digital Atom direction and invites the winners of the final to get to know the company and take part in solving its tasks. For example, the 2020 champion team from the R. E. Alekseev Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University presented its vision of an Industry Career Portal at an engineering hackathon organized by the Rosatom Corporate Academy.

NIPIGAZ, a partner of the Project Engineering branch, considers the championship as a resource for forming a talent pool of promising young people.

«By solving applied problems, students develop competencies that are in demand on the labor market, which means they lay the foundation for a successful career. We were able to tell the participants about the specifics of an engineer's work in a large modern company, immerse them in real business processes and form expectations for future professional activities.", – said Sofia Semenova, Head of Corporate Culture and Social Relations at NIPIGAZ.

In 2021, CASE-IN is supported by 17 partner companies. All of them are familiar to the participants thanks to the championship and other projects of the Reliable Shift Foundation (43% of respondents), as well as in connection with practices, career days and information at the university (34%).

The TOP 10 companies where CASE-IN participants would like to complete an internship or internship include ROSATOM State Corporation, SIBUR LLC, Tatneft PJSC, ALROSA JSC, NIPIGAZ JSC, SO UES JSC, FGC UES PJSC, PJSC RusHydro, LLC Evraz Holding, LLC Mycromine Rus.

"As a geographically distributed company, SIBUR is interested in attracting and selecting students and graduates from more than 15 regions. The partnership with the CASE-IN Championship makes this task easier for us and guarantees a uniform level of candidate selection," he comments SIBUR expert Oksana Mustafina.

ALROSA is interested in attracting young people to the Company's enterprises. 

"For the Company, CASE-IN is one of the tools for attracting promising and talented students to enterprises for practical training and, possibly, for further employment after graduation, since when solving cases, students get acquainted with the specifics of the activities of ALROSA enterprises," comments the Head of the Personnel Selection and Development Center at ALROSA (PAO) Natalia Petukhova.

The same companies were included in the TOP 10 best employers and the most desirable jobs for students participating in the CASE-IN championship.

The image of a potential employer is clearly understood not only by students, but also by schoolchildren. Of course, most are not ready to name a specific industry, much less the company where they plan to work, but they see its key features quite clearly.

For example, the participants of the School League of the CASE-IN Championship describe their future company as innovative, stable and providing professional development opportunities.

"My company should benefit millions of people, focus on continuous development and not stand still, have a great perspective and include hardworking, friendly and highly qualified specialists who love their profession," says Amina Mingazova (Nizhnevartovsk, Lyceum No. 2, silver medalist of the Engineering Solutions Competition in the "Drawing Contest" nomination).

Ruslan Zaikin (Kemerovo, school No. 93, Central Research Institute at KuzSTU “UnikUm, the champion of the Engineering Solutions Competition in the "Layout Competition" nomination): "The company must be reliable, promoting new ideas and technologies."

German Roev (Nizhnevartovsk, school No. 42, silver medalist of the School League in the field of "Case solving") He believes that the most important thing is the team that will surround him in the company.

«I would like to continue my development in a company with the opportunity for personal and career growth.", - Veronika Paramonova sums up (Kemerovo, Lyceum No. 89, Central Research Institute at KuzSTU "UniqUe", the bronze medalist of the School League in the field of "Case solving").