Programme

Internship programmes are among the most trending in the Russian employment market. Large companies, banks and creative businesses are busy raising young specialists. Today, internships are a popular tool to find and attract the best talent in the pool of educated and qualified candidates. These several months help a business look at a student or young professional in action, evaluate their potential and understand their growth prospects. We know the results of two major research projects that focused on internships. The first one studied what employers expected from young professionals. It covered 1,737 businesses, with 77% stating that they want to attract young employees, but they have experienced difficulties finding them and verifying their competencies. The other study involved 70 thousand young people who were asked about their career expectations and preferred ways to find a job. The majority viewed internships as the most effective tool to launch a career. At the same time, internship programmes need to be developed and organized in a thoughtful way. How do employers benefit from internships? How can employers ensure successful internships? What do employers need to know before organizing internship programmes?

Moderator
Alexey Agafonov, First Deputy General Director, Russia – Land of Opportunity

Alexey Agafonov

First Deputy General Director, Russia – Land of Opportunity

Panellists
Stefan Duerr, General Director, EkoNiva-APK Holding
Egor Litvinenko, Advisor to the Head, Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh)
Sergey Salikov, General Director, ANCOR
Samvel Sarukhanyan, General Director, Mriya Resort & Spa
Anton Serikov, Deputy General Director, Russian "Znanie" Society; Head, Knowledge Center "Mashuk"
Varvara Smirnova, Head, T-Start
Olga Tsukanova, Managing Director - Head of the Directorate of Academic Partnerships, Sberbank

Stefan Duerr

General Director, EkoNiva-APK Holding

Egor Litvinenko

Advisor to the Head, Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh)

Sergey Salikov

General Director, ANCOR

Samvel Sarukhanyan

General Director, Mriya Resort & Spa

Anton Serikov

Deputy General Director, Russian "Znanie" Society; Head, Knowledge Center "Mashuk"

Anton Serikov graduated from the Rostov State University in 2002 with a degree in sociology, defended his candidate thesis in sociology, and graduated from the doctoral studies at the Southern Federal University. He received additional education at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO Department of Political Science), School of Management Skolkovo (rectors’ courses ‘New Leaders of Higher Education’), RANEPA (Graduate School of Public Administration). Starting in 2005, he worked at the Southern Federal University, serving as a teacher, head of laboratory, dean of the faculty and director of the institute. He was involved in the issues of Russian regional policy and national security.
In 2018, Anton Serikov became a finalist in the Leaders of Russia national management competition, and, based on its results, he was invited to work for the Office of Internal Policy of the Presidential Domestic Policy Directorate. He headed the department of organizational support and received the state rank of Full State Counsellor class III. Later he joined the independent non-profit organization ‘Russia: the Country of Opportunities’ established by the President of the Russian Federation, and was in charge of interaction with partners. He currently serves as project leader at the independent non-profit organization ‘Russia: the Country of Opportunities’ in charge of building a regional network and interacting with universities and government agencies.

Varvara Smirnova

Head, T-Start

Olga Tsukanova

Managing Director - Head of the Directorate of Academic Partnerships, Sberbank