The partners of the championship, the System Operator and YURGPU, are educating the future generation of power engineers

The Platov South Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI) and the Joint-Stock Company "System Operator of the Unified Energy System", which are partners of the Reliable Shift Foundation and its flagship project, the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN", continue fruitful cooperation.

JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" is a specialized organization that single–handedly performs centralized operational dispatch management in the Unified Energy System of Russia.

The personnel policy of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" is aimed at creating conditions for the guaranteed provision of highly qualified personnel to the company. In accordance with the Program of innovative development of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" for 2022-2026 and for the future until 2031, one of the areas of personnel and educational activities is the training of young specialists. The work is carried out jointly with the Reliable Shift Foundation and partner universities, including the Platov South Russian State Polytechnic University (SRIPU).

As part of the implementation of the Concept of Interaction with higher educational institutions, the System Operator has been organizing and conducting an additional professional development program "Management of electric Power systems modes" for students of the Faculty of Energy of YURSPU (NPI) since 2008. Currently, the program is being implemented on the basis of the Department of "Electric Stations and Electric Power Systems".

Professional training of students in a specialized program is carried out with the aim of subsequent employment of graduates in the technological services of the branches of the System Operator – regional dispatching control (RDU) of power systems located mainly in the Southern Federal District and part of the United Energy System (UES) of the South. Upon completion of their studies, students can be employed in one of the following RDU services: operational dispatch service, electrical modes service, relay protection and automation service, energy modes, balance and development service, Department of advanced development.

The special features of the training of young specialists for JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" are:

1. The specifics of the activity requiring unique competencies of specialists.
2. The constant increase in the knowledge requirements of young specialists employed in the Technological Functional Unit and the Information Technology Unit of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System".
3. The level of competence of employees is equally high in all regions of the System Operator's branches, including those with insufficient staffing and low infrastructure development.
4. A long period of adaptation and on-the-job training for newly recruited young professionals.
5. Innovative development of the activities of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System".
6. High competition for university graduates among employers.

In the process of preparing for the specialized System Operator program, students gain the necessary knowledge on the management of operating modes of the Unified Energy System of Russia.:

• organization of operational dispatch control of the Unified Energy System modes;
• equipment management of electric power facilities;
• the peculiarities of calculations and analysis of current and prospective steady-state and transient modes of electric power systems;
• planning of energy regimes and development of power and electricity balances;
• management of normal and emergency modes of the electric power system in order to prevent and eliminate violations of normal operation;
• other special issues related to the training profile.

Along with the leading teachers of the YURGPU (NPI), highly qualified specialists from the Rostov RDU and the UDE of the South are involved in the professional training of students.

The process of additional professional training of students of YURGPU (NPI) for JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" consists of the following stages:

• additional theoretical training in the form of classroom lectures and independent work of students, totaling 678 hours for 4 semesters of Master's degree;
• intermediate testing after each semester in the form of an interview based on the materials of the subjects studied in the semester;
• work as trainee specialists in the personnel reserve of a System Operator, which consists in studying and practically performing the production functions of specialists in the RDU and ODE services.;
• completion of production and pre-graduate internships in the branches of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System";
• preparation of a master's thesis with consideration of the issues proposed by the System Operator.

Enrollment of 1st-year undergraduates in the additional training program of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System" is carried out on a competitive basis based on the results of an interview with representatives of the System Operator and university teachers. Every year, 10-12 graduates of the Bachelor's degree in Electrical Power Plants and Electric Power Systems Department become participants in the additional professional development program. From 2008 to 2023, 143 students of YURGPU (NPI) completed a specialized training program.

In recent years, the significant achievements of YURGPU (NPI) students enrolled in the additional professional development program include:

• victories in the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" in 2018 and 2021;
• participation in international scientific and technical conferences "Electric Power Industry through the eyes of youth" and "Cybernetics of Energy Systems";
• employment of more than 80% of graduates of the program in branches of JSC "System Operator of the Unified Energy System";
• Appointment of Rustam Shamshievich Alzhanov, one of the first graduates of the additional professional training program at the YURSPU (NPI), as the first Deputy Director and Chief Dispatcher of the North Caucasian RDU.

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