During September 21 - 22, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department Alexey Zhdanov took part in the round table "Interaction of flagship universities with employers as a condition of qualitative training of graduates". The round table was organized by the Department of State policy in the sphere of higher education Ministry of education and science, National training Foundation, the Charity Fund "System" on the basis of the Petrozavodsk State University. The round table consisted of four discussion platforms, gathered 75 participants from 20 Universities and over 30 companies. The main objectives of the round table was the presentation of successful practices of interaction between universities and the support of enterprises in General and in particular for the development of educational programs; determine the relationship of the employer to the quality of professional training of graduates of technical specialties; to specify requirements of the employer the competence of the employee technical training areas for different activities; to identify existing forms of cooperation between universities and enterprises; to give recommendations on the implementation of the innovative program of interaction between universities and enterprises in the development of subsequent adjustment of educational programs.

Alexey Zhdanov was a speaker at the discussion site "Supporting Interaction between industry and universities: how to build a mutually beneficial model of cooperation" with the report "Interaction with employers in the engineering industry – experience of Vladimir State University", where were presented the different practices of the interaction of the University with employers.

Of particular interest was the experience of interaction of VlSU with small and medium enterprises on the basis of foreign experience. Alexey Zhdanov told about the mechanism and forms of interaction between universities and small enterprises through the organization of the Open Innovation Laboratory (COILab). This unit is jointly organized in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme OIPEC. Alexey Zhdanov shared the mechanism of functioning of the laboratory at Vladimir State University, the content of joint programme of additional professional education. The event was discussed scenarios of interaction supports s universities with key companies in the region, and adopted to develop a road map for cooperation with employers in the specifics of the development of joint innovation projects.