The program of the event, which took place on 11 March, was meaningful and fruitful for all parties: SPbGASU and Avtodor State Company signed a cooperation agreement, students of the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building attended a lecture by Avtodor Chairman of the Board Vyacheslav Petushenko and heard first-hand detailed answers to questions regarding professional activities. In addition, 9–11-grade pupils of the Emperor Alexander II Peterhof Gymnasium visited Avtodor construction sites and attended master classes in our university's classrooms.

Interaction in the crucial fields

SPbGASU and Avtodor have become partners and intend to work together in several important areas. The corresponding agreement was signed by SPbGASU Rector Evgeny Rybnov and Chairman of the Board of the State Company Avtodor Vyacheslav Petushenko.

The agreement provides for the training of highly qualified personnel for the road construction complex, cooperation in conducting scientific research for the innovative development of road activities, and the implementation of joint educational initiatives for the career guidance of schoolchildren and students. In addition, it is planned that students will participate in industrial practice and internships at Avtodor, and cooperate in the areas of digital transformation of the road industry and the integrated implementation of intelligent systems.

"The University tries to use all opportunities to train engineers in demand. In particular, we are developing the topic of intelligent transport systems, modern methods of ensuring road safety, and have formed a relevant scientific school. It is necessary to develop a laboratory base for training road and bridge workers. We interact with leading enterprises in the road industry, in particular, with the ABZ-1, Petersburg-Dorservice, and Topomatik groups of companies. We are working to improve the quality of training road workers, we have opened a separate admission of applicants for the "Roads" profile, and from this year - for the "Construction of bridges and tunnels" program. We hope that the transfer of the Department of Transport Systems and Roads, Bridges and Tunnels to the Department of Transport Systems and Road and Bridge Construction will have a positive effect. The agreement with the State Company "Avtodor" will undoubtedly contribute to improving the training of specialists. We are also working on creating an advanced engineering school "Intelligent Transport Systems", we have an understanding of the ways of their development in modern conditions," said Evgeny Rybnov.

Vyacheslav Petushenko emphasized that the road industry is developing and requires modern approaches, highly qualified specialists, who can be trained most effectively through joint efforts.

A lecture on figures, facts and personal experience

For Vyacheslav Petushenko, the meeting at SPbGASU is not only a business agreement, but also a personal story. In 1981, he graduated from our university and devoted his entire life to his chosen specialty, starting with his military service, when he took part in the construction of a highway in Transbaikalia. In his professional activity, he has climbed all the steps of the career ladder.

"It is best for every young specialist to go through all the stages in the industry, to walk along the construction sites of highways in rubber boots. This allows you to delve into each process in detail, develops the skill of communicating with workers. All this plays an important role in the development of a professional and a leader. Today, the road industry is developing rapidly, taking into account the rhythm and demands of life. In the period from 1977 to 2010, 2,165 kilometers of roads were built, and from 2020 to 2023 - already 810 kilometers. Small rest areas along the highways are being replaced by large complexes with the necessary infrastructure. New technologies and equipment, digital solutions appear, but you cannot do without a specialist on whom the quality of the technical specifications of all objects, its implementation depends. And such specialists are in demand," Vyacheslav Petushenko emphasized.

He spoke in detail about the activities of Avtodor, including in new regions of Russia, and about educational activities, including the installation of memorials along roads.

Fourth-year student in the "Transport processes technology" program Igor Mikhnevich asked the lecturer about trends in the industry, which of them are the most important and how Avtodor adapts to all changes in the market. Vyacheslav Petushenko noted that in the context of high transportation prices, the industry began to use local materials, including those that can be adapted for construction.

"Today, it is no longer a novelty to build roads while maintaining high quality without sand and gravel. For example, if there is none, then ordinary soil is processed and adapted for these purposes using technology," noted Vyacheslav Petushenko.

Ivan Beshentsev, a third-year student in the field of "Transport processes technology", asked a question about the installation of communication infrastructure along the highways. It turned out that Avtodor provides special sites for this during the construction process, but the full coverage of the roads with communication also depends on the relevant departments and companies.

Quiz winner is to develop digital technologies

Schoolchildren from the Emperor Alexander II Peterhof Gymnasium took part with interest in master classes on water disposal and ecology, thermal power engineering, went on excursions and listened to a lecture.

On 21 December, 2024, they took part in the intellectual quiz "Knowledge. Game", which was held as part of the career guidance course "Russia - my prospects". It was attended by 4,400 schoolchildren from 89 regions of the country. The intellectual game consisted of four rounds: in the first, schoolchildren answered questions about land, water and air transport (including a special one from the State Company "Avtodor"), in the second stage, the children tested their knowledge of medicine and pharmacy, the topic of the third round was entrepreneurship, and in the fourth, the children were asked questions about the fuel and energy complex of Russia.

The quiz included questions, among other things, connected to the results of a lesson on the development of the country's transport industry held on 21 November, 2024, dedicated to Transport Workers' Day. 8 million students in grades 6–11 from 40,000 schools learned more about air and water routes, railways and roads, including the expressways of the State Company Avtodor. One of the winners of the quiz was an eleventh-grader of the gymnasium, an excellent student, Yuri Zakrevsky. Evgeny Rybnov and Vyacheslav Petushenko presented him with a prize.

"Our gymnasium holds an additional class called "Russia - my prospects". I found it interesting to take part in the proposed quiz. The questions go beyond the school curriculum and significantly broaden your horizons, allowing you to learn as much as possible about professions. I play in the school team "What? Where? When?", read a lot and I am sure that such experience and the knowledge I gained helped me win this quiz. I want to connect my professional life with the field of information technology. As I saw today, SPbGASU is actively introducing digital solutions in demand in the industry into the learning processes, and this is great," said Yuri.