Rector of Astrakhan State University Speaks about Benefits of Additional Education

Most people in Russia are sure that additional education contributes to career progress in all socio-professional groups. Representatives of the Russian market of additional professional education and the Public Opinion Foundation have come to such a conclusion upon results of the opinion poll.

We got to know what ASU Rector Konstantin Markelov thinks about prospects of additional education.

— What do you think about the idea to get additional professional education?

— Now, when technologies are rapidly evolving, advanced training programmes and additional programmes are becoming increasingly relevant. Even if you graduated from university with honours and got a perfect education, you’ll have to study again and learn something new in a couple of years. That’s why one must update his/her competencies on a regular basis. Only in this case one can consider him-/herself a professional. And it’s great that now we have a unique opportunity to study at any age.

— Which of the additional programmes, offered by ASU, would you personally like to do?

— I have already completed theprogramme “Development & Design of Moodle Courses in Foreign Language at University”. On March 16, I started attending classes in the programme «International Relations: Geopolitical Processes and Globalization». The programme duration is 252 hours and will last until June 19. I also keep learning English. In general, I dedicate a lot of time to self-education. It helps me not only improve the level of my knowledge but also keep up with the latest educational trends. And I do recommend that everyone joins different training courses, it’s very useful, believe me.

— How relevant is additional education for adults?

— For an established specialist, it’s an opportunity to gain necessary knowledge, skills and competencies for his/her professional activities quickly. It is a chance to enrich their professional portfolio, advance their qualification in a related or totally new field, studying in a programme of professional retraining. Today we face so rapidly changing requirements of the labour market, economic conditions and production itself that it’s really impossible to work reckoning only on the education that we got some years ago.

— What do you think the additional education will be in 5 years?

— Our future does lie with both higher education and additional education! It seems that more and more programmes will be available for online learning without leaving our home. There will be more people among the adult population that keep learning something additionally. Of course, the range of programmes will also increase.

— Your parting message to those who are facing a choice of an additional professional programme.

— Don’tbeafraidoftakingatry. When choosing a programme, rest on your personal interests and a demand for this specialization in the labour market.