Chelyabinsk: The final of the 12th All-Russian career guidance technology competition, "Engineering Personnel of Russia," recently took place in Chelyabinsk.
According to Emirates News Agency, the competition saw participation from over 2,000 teams across 68 regions of Russia and four countries during its qualifying stages. A total of 720 young engineers advanced to the federal stage, where they focused on creating robots, drones, and programmable systems to tackle real-world industrial challenges.
Engineering Personnel of Russia (IKaR) is a nationwide competition series that promotes scientific and technical creativity while enhancing the prestige of engineering professions. Throughout the competition, 227 teams from 58 regions of Russia and three other countries competed for the title of overall winners. Victorious representatives from 15 regions were recognized across nine categories, with more than 1,300 enterprises partnering with the young engineers. This cooperative element with actual industrial clients is a mandatory requirement for participation in the competition.
One of the standout features of this season was the use of artificial intelligence and fully autonomous models in projects. A new category introduced this year, IKaR-CODE, tasked teams with developing web applications and software for industrial automation, with the stipulation that projects deliver measurable economic benefits to businesses. The overall winner in this category was a team from Krasnodar Krai, who developed a virtual simulator for a powder-coating workshop. This innovative programme allows newcomers to practice hazardous technological processes in a safe digital environment before accessing expensive equipment, and it has already received approval for real-world implementation.
Vitaly Litke, Minister of Education and Science of the Chelyabinsk Region, highlighted the competition's value, stating, "What makes IKaR so valuable is the complete immersion in the industry and interaction with a real industrial client. It is not merely an educational task but a project that can be applied in a particular sector."
In the IKaR-PROFI-AGROTECH category, a team from Altai Krai secured first place with their prototype of an automated seeder designed for precise and uniform sowing, minimizing labor and resource costs. This prototype provided industry partners with an engineering solution to reduce production costs. In the youngest category, IKaRenok, a team from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug claimed first place by collaborating with a partner from the oil and gas sector to devise a waste processing method for rotational workers' settlements. Meanwhile, in the IKaR-CLASSIC category, a team from Kemerovo Region was awarded first place for creating an automated terminal for shipping iron ore concentrate. In the IKaR-START category, school students from Murmansk Region won with their service robot for a mining and processing plant, which can replace modern excavators, increase ore extraction, and reduce operating costs.
In addition to the competition, a business programme ran concurrently over the two days. Experts nationwide, including representatives from government authorities, industrial enterprises, universities, and educational development institutions, engaged in discussions about preparing school students for engineering careers and employment in industry. The event also featured strategic sessions on the future of engineering education, presentations of the 'school-university-enterprise' pathway, and a case-study tour on organizing a technical club within a regular school.