OREANDA-NEWS. The Moscow School of Management is launching a large-scale educational programme aimed at preparing management teams for the development of single-industry towns. The Business School won the open tender of the Fund for the Development of Single-industry Towns in mid-September.

The aim of the programme is to prepare project management teams for single-industry towns, as well as to develop managerial and project work competencies of the participants.

The on-campus training, consisting of five full-time weekly training modules, starts on September 28. The programme faculty comprises not only the best scientists and experts in the field, but also practitioners with specific case studies. The expert team includes representatives of federal executive authorities; members of the working group on mono-towns modernizing under the Governmental Commission for Economic Development and Integration; representatives of public corporations, industrial and manufacturing companies; investment, municipal law and urban development professionals.

"A year ago, the government put together a list of ‘crisis’ single-industry towns with the most difficult social and economic situation, and the Fund for the Development of Single-industry Towns was set up to deal with the launch of investment projects and the training of project management teams. Our mission within this joint training programme is to build project teams, including regional and municipal leaders, representatives of backbone enterprises, as well as investors and entrepreneurs. They are to change the towns’ business environment, seek to create new points for labour and capital application and influence the situation with labour supply", said Andrei Sharonov, Dean of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

Upon completion of the training, the participants are expected to offer at least seven projects to defend in front of guest experts, the Fund for the Development of Single-industry Towns, Presidential Administration and the Government of the Russian Federation. The projects will feature ideas or initiatives designed to change the social and business environment of mono-towns.

"Today, 319 single-industry towns are home to nearly a tenth of the country’s population, or about 14 million people. Meanwhile, only 71 such settlements have sustainable socio-economic situation. The others are unstable, or in crisis, or at risk – and therefore need special attention and support. The Fund for the Development of Single-industry Towns aims to increase their investment appeal. In this regard, we are launching an educational programme together with the Government of the Russian Federation and the Skolkovo Business School. Our task is to train professionals and build project management teams, which will be able to solve the problem. The training of the first 7 teams will be funded with the allocated 45 million roubles. I am sure that the training of management teams will be a good help in the diversification of mono-towns economy", said Ilya Krivogov, Head of the Fund for the Development of Single-industry Towns.