The new model of higher education involves abandoning the bachelor's degree, which is not highly recognized by employers in many fields. Instead, a single level of higher education will be introduced to provide training for qualified specialists. The master's degree will become a stage for obtaining in-depth specialized knowledge. The role of postgraduate studies will also change: it will focus on training scientific personnel.
Oksana Lut noted that the Russian agro-industrial complex represents a modern, high-tech, and dynamically developing sector of the economy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has set new tasks for the agro-industrial complex - to increase production volumes by 25% and double exports by 2030. To achieve these goals, sectors need to continue improving production efficiency and labor productivity.
This can be achieved through active implementation of digital technologies, artificial intelligence systems, as well as automation and robotization of production processes. It is important for higher education to prepare specialists for this field with skills that will be relevant in modern production conditions.
Specialized education includes training in new and promising agricultural professions, such as breeder, geneticist, biotechnologist, bioinformatician, and others. The national project "Technological Support for Food Security" includes the development of industries where such specialists will be in demand.
Special attention will be paid to training scientific personnel in postgraduate studies.
As Oksana Lut pointed out, the agro-industrial complex needs specialists capable of creating a fundamental base and transferring agro-innovations to practical production. In this regard, strengthening cooperation between science and business plays a key role in developing agricultural technologies aimed at increasing the productivity and efficiency of the sector.
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture also elaborated on other aspects of creating a unified ecosystem for personnel training. In particular, there are plans to open 18,000 agrotechnological classes in schools by 2030 and involve agricultural universities in enhancing the quality of secondary vocational education.
In addition, sectoral specialization and cooperation of universities subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture are provided for. The choice of specializations should be based on the regional structure of the agro-industrial complex, business needs, and the availability of scientific schools.