Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) recently adopted a number of employee training, re-training, and professional development schemes for 2010.

‘The company comes up with such programs every year; the schemes are based on the educational needs and applications of the employees from various departments. MMK’s training and re-training system covers all personnel categories and all our divisions. For one, the company spent over 100 million RUR on the programs last year alone. The plan for the year 2010 will involve over 13,000 workers, a lot of whom are going to get their second qualification. In fact, the recession has already proved the efficiency of such educational schemes: the employees’ having an additional qualification or being able to do different jobs allows the company to rotate its workers depending on the production needs.

‘This year’s program is largely aimed at training the technicians for our cold-roll Mill 2000. This ultra-modern machine is meant for the production of high-quality automobile body sheets and will probably be launched in 2011. However, we already have to train the workers who’ll operate the unit next year. In 2010, our program is to involve 350 people altogether. Now this educational scheme is implemented within our so-called in-contract education program, which means that all our machinery suppliers are obliged, under the contract, not only to supply the new equipment but also to train the operators of this equipment. Our employees must receive training here, spend some time at the supplier’s plants as trainees, and take part in the assembly and testing stages,’ MMK PR Department reports.

One section of MMK’s employee training, re-training, and professional development scheme provides for the training of nearly 5,000 managers and experts; another one provides for the training of 171 workers in charge of the products’ quality and design in accordance with ISO/TU-16949:2002 standards.

In addition, there is a section on the training of workers in accordance with the corporate standards of OAO Gazprom. This educational scheme is implemented under MMK’s program targeted at meeting Gazprom’s corporate standards 9000. The program is meant to improve the enterprise’s current quality management system and to raise the sales of metal goods to companies that work on Gazprom’s orders.

The program is expected to adjust MMK’s current quality management system to Gazprom’s standards and to introduce these standards into the company’s production process. This year, 127 employees will be introduced to Gazprom’s standards and 438 people will be taught to comply with the quality management system and the environmental management system requirements.