Page 14 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #39

Through this process, conditions can be created order to determine which wearables, spare parts and
where the local ship repair yards will find it profit- components are needed by the Russian shipyards and
able to purchase or build extra floating docks with shipping companies most. Then, Arkhangelsk govern-
minimum capacity of 9,000 t, so as to be able to meet ment is to come up with action plan for supporting
the growing demand from owners of the Arctic-go- those of the companies that have capacity to start pro-
ing merchant ships. This task classifies as strategically duction.
important, since it contributes to achieving develop- Finally, a third problem – experienced by all do-
ment strategy established for the Russian Arctic Zone. mestic industries – comes down to shortage of quali-
fied personnel. It would be an exaggeration to say that
Local approach Arkhangelsk’s shipyards are experiencing a severe
personnel shortage, but it cannot be denied that at-
Another problem facing ship yards and ship repair tracting and training early-career specialists requires
providers is the shortage of domestically produced serious effort from their managers. While shipbuild-
components and spare parts. Importing them from ing and ship repair sector offers competitive salaries,
other Russian regions or abroad leads to an increase the decline in population size and attractiveness of
in prices, creating extra risks associated with disrup- blue-collar professions are forcing shipyards to look
tion of supply chains. By localizing the production of for new ways to overcome the personnel shortage.
the basic ship’s components, Arkhangelsk Oblast can This problem grows with the increase in orders, for
enhance its status as a provider of diverse, competi- a capacity increase can only be achieved with bigger
tively priced range of ship repair services. staff. As a result, the yards are suffering the lack of
The first stage of this work, which can be com- hull assemblers, welders, machine fitters, pipefitters
pleted as early as 2022, involves market research in and turners.
A solution to this problem lies in improved train-
ing system. Company executives claim they are pre-
Рост грузопотока по pared to invest in personnel training and recruit-
Северному морскому пути и ment, while the vocational education system seems
ready to be modernized in line with the employer re-
активизация судоходства quirements. What’s lacking is career guidance sys-
в полярных морях tem, school-yard cooperation, material support for
способствуют развитию vocational schools, sufficient enrolment in ship re-
pair/shipbuilding programmes, and diverse range of
SOZVEZDYE #39 верфей sector-specific majors.
One effective tool for early-career specialists re-
Together with the growing cargo tention is offered by employer-hosted engineer train-
судостроение traffic along the Northern Sea ing centers. These facilities enable training to be de-
shipbuilding Route, the increase in polar livered on-site, in direct contact with production
shipping contributes to more technologies. One such training center will soon be
started by Arkhangelsk Fleet Maintenance Base, rep-
shipyards orienting themselves to resenting a helpful tool for on-site training that har-
servicing the Arctic-going cargo moniously combines theoretical courses and hands-
on skills, offering mentorship and decreasing the
12 carriers duration of the adjustment period needed by new
hires when they enter the workplace.