We often discuss the problem that Russian defense-industrial enterprises cannot fully cope with the obligations imposed on them. At the same time, if earlier the main problem was a lack of funding and the absence of a systematic approach to loading defense enterprises by the state, today, it seems, and with financing things are much better, and sometimes the load is such that it only remains to roll up our sleeves and literally immerse yourself in the long-awaited work.
However, as it turned out, at least one more problem has recently emerged in the defense industry sector, which hinders the development of the industry. This problem lies in the total lack of qualified specialists who would be able to apply the knowledge gained in educational institutions for their implementation in direct production. The fact is that today, according to the most rough estimates, the number of young specialists in the military-industrial sphere does not exceed 20% of the total number of employees. At the same time, the tendency, unfortunately, is aimed at reducing this share as well. The average age of defense industry specialists is well over 40. More than a third of the employees of military-industrial enterprises are of pre-retirement and retirement age.
The situation looks even more dubious due to the fact that production itself often rests on those employees who, due to their age, can no longer always gush with creative ideas in terms of solving certain technical problems. As they say, experience in any business is, of course, a good thing, but when in a whole industry that directly contributes to the development of the state's defense capability, the link between generations is broken, and when there is simply no one to transfer the experience gained even with all the desire, then there is a direct threat to the survival of the industry in general.
Well, you must admit that it is impossible to solve the same personnel problem of defense enterprises with the help of the same guest workers who, of course, would have got down to business with enthusiasm, even without having absolutely any technical training for this …
Members of the Public Chamber are concerned about this problem today. In particular, Alexander Kanshin, head of the OP Commission on National Security, presented his vision of solving the problem associated with the shortage of young qualified specialists at the enterprises of the military-industrial sphere. It must be admitted that the proposals of Alexander Kanshin in terms of resolving issues related to the provisions of national security and protecting the interests of military personnel and their families have always been distinguished by originality. In particular, it is worth recalling that the chairman of the mentioned Commission of the Public Chamber not so long ago suggested that when dismissing military personnel, they should not be allocated apartments, but land plots with an area of 5 hectares in any region in which they wish. Alexander Kanshin's new proposal also looks quite original, but, at the same time, it has a certain logical platform under it.
So, Kanshin proposes to equate the statuses of an alternative civilian service for young people of draft age and work in defense enterprises. In his opinion, young people who received the appropriate education within the framework of a special state program for the training of scientists and other specialists in the military-industrial complex, and after that signed a contract with an employer, may well become so-called alternatives.
The proposal is sound. It has its own pitfalls, but you can still get around them. The fact is that according to the law on alternative civil service, the ACS itself is a labor activity for the benefit of society and the state. And if the work of orderlies in the homes of veterans and disabled people is equated with alternative civilian service, then why not bring work at a military-industrial enterprise under this status? Here, with the appropriate education and vacancies, there are enough, and workers will always be in demand.
Similar stones in this question might look like this:
the fact is that, expressing the idea of the possible identity of the AGS and work at defense enterprises, Alexander Kanshin mentions the need to implement a new state program to finance the training of young specialists who will subsequently come to defense plants. But at the same time, it has not yet been clarified how much budgetary funds may be needed for the new state plan, because it is not clear how many young people will be ready to respond to this kind of proposal. And will it not turn out that when a contract is signed with an enterprise in the defense industry sector, the so-called young specialist will only be listed at this enterprise, and the same gray-haired veteran of the industry will do all the work for him … After all, unfortunately, given the level of corruption that today is in our country, many young people will see in such a proposal another loophole, in order to skillfully evade the draft.
One of the options that will help solve this problem is that the work of a young specialist in the defense industry system may be associated not even with an alternative service, but with the military service itself. This option, in principle, in a certain form has already been implemented in our country: athletes who were and are at the same time conscript servicemen of the Russian army. In such a situation, a person will be able to help the Motherland much more productively than one who, on a subconscious level, realizes that the “alternative” still gives much more relief than a real conscription service, although the term of the AGS is 21 months instead of 12 months of “deadline.
Considering that tens of thousands of graduates of technical universities, specialized technical schools and colleges are called up every year in our country, it would be quite possible to apply the knowledge and skills of these young people in terms of the development of the military-industrial sector. At the same time, a young specialist, with whom an agreement is concluded, is paid a regular salary so that later he can stay at a defense enterprise, and not be eager to quickly go “for demobilization” and once and for all forget about the defense industry.
Such a proposal, of course, is not a panacea, but if it is worked out, then it is quite capable of solving two problems at once: to increase the prestige of military service for people with a high-quality technical education, and also to obtain new engineering and labor cadres for defense enterprises on favorable terms both for these young people, and for the enterprises themselves.
