KAZAN, RUSSIAN FEDRATION (ILO News) - The roundtable was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, State Duma, Rostrud, FNPR, Labour Institutes of BRICS countries, Moscow State University, WorldSkills Russia, regional labour authorities from Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Republic of Komi, and the Astrakhan Region.

The ILO was represented by ILO Moscow Director Olga Koulaeva and Sr Employment Specialist Mikhail Pouchkin.

In her address, Olga Koulaeva discussed the ILO Centenary Declaration and its core idea, the human centered approach. She stressed the contribution of the Russian Federation to the global vision of the future of work, namely the idea of humanization of labour that had been formulated by the Russian costituents. Olga Koulaeva welcomed participation of the social partners and research community, specifically Labour Institutes of BRICS countries, in a broad discussion on challenges met by young people entering labour market in a rapidly changing world of work, and in promotion of lifelong learning as one of main recommendations of the ILO Centenary Declaration, securing people smooth work-to-work transition through the course of their work life.

As noted by Olga Pavlova, United Russia deputy and member of the State Duma Committee on Labour, Social Policy and Veterans’ Affairs, “the growing capacities of the country’s production sector are boosting the demand for skilled workers who are fairly hard to find to fill the available vacancies. New jobs and standards cannot develop effectively unless they are backed by the state and large businesses, of course, with support of the relevant legislation”, the MP underlined.

Olga Pavlova spoke about legislation aimed at addressing the labour and youth employment priorities, improving the mechanism for higher workforce mobility, and introducing arrangements to promote employment of disabled persons.

“WorldSkills is aimed primarily at raising the prestige of blue-collar jobs and promoting vocational education by harmonizing the best practices and occupational standards worldwide by means of arranging and holding craftsmanship competitions. I am convinced that the future lies with high-skilled workers able to take the initiative and boldly implement new technological solutions, invent techniques and do simple mechanical work,” Ms. Pavlova said.

The business program of 45th WorldSkills Kazan 2019 comprised the events commemorating the Centenary of the International Labour Organization.