115 Nizhny Novgorod residents participated in the VII forum "Takeoff. Industrial Start."

      March 7, 2026 15:56 Economy 115 schoolchildren and college students participated in the seventh municipal forum "Takeoff. Industrial Start" in Vyksa. The project is organized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Entrepreneurship of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the regional center "My Business" with the support of the Corporate University of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the Youth Career Center of the Nizhny Novgorod Region "KUPNO.START," and the regional branch of the "Movement of the First" of the Nizhny Novgorod Region as part of the national project "Effective and Competitive Economy."

      "The project 'Takeoff. Industrial Start' helps schoolchildren better understand the features of modern industry and see opportunities for professional development in their home municipality. In Vyksa, the students got acquainted with the enterprises of the district, communicated with specialists, and saw how production processes are organized. This format allows the younger generation to relate their interests to the current labor market conditions and approach the choice of their further educational and professional path more consciously," noted the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Entrepreneurship of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Maxim Cherkasov.

      Students from grades 8-11 and first-year students of the GAPOU "Vyksa Metallurgical College named after A.A. Kozeradsky" participated in the municipal forum in Vyksa. A total of nine teams of 10 people each were formed. The program took place in two stages: first, participants got acquainted with the industrial enterprises of the municipality, and then presented the results of their work in the form of presentations and videos. In the projects, the students showcased the features of the productions, their history, and possible career trajectories.

      As part of the project, participants visited production sites of the Vyksa plant "OMK" (a metallurgical enterprise), IP Barkin Andrey Vyacheslavovich (furniture production), and AO "Drobmash" (production of machines and equipment for the extraction of minerals and construction).

      The presentations were evaluated by a competition commission, which included representatives from the regional Ministry of Industry, the administration of the urban district, the regional center "My Business," and the Youth Career Center of the Nizhny Novgorod Region "KUPNO.Start." Experts assessed participants based on the following criteria: content and depth of topic disclosure, structure and logic of presentation, oratory skills, teamwork, quality of visual design, originality, and career guidance component.

      The first place was taken by the team "Vector of Takeoff" (MBOU "Secondary School No. 8"). This team will defend its municipality in the project final in spring 2026. The second place was awarded to the team "Iron Mask" (MBOU "Secondary School No. 11"). Both teams presented their experiences visiting the metallurgical enterprise. The third place was taken by the team "Power of the Mechanism" (MBOU "Secondary School No. 9"), which represented the furniture production.

      Marina Nikitina, head of the personnel department of AO "Special Machine Engineering Corporation" (the parent company that includes the "Drobmash" plant), noted that working with youth and career guidance initiatives is an important element of personnel policy.

      "It is fundamentally important to maintain a high level of employee competencies, as the quality and reliability of technology depend on people. The project 'Takeoff. Industrial Start' is an opportunity to familiarize students with productions and simultaneously foster their interest in professional activities in the industry," she said.

      The forum program also included educational activities. In the entrepreneurial track, participants attended a master class at the Youth Engineering and Scientific Competence Center. Additionally, they learned about the work of the regional center "My Business" and its branches in the districts of the region, the conditions for starting their own business, and measures of state support for young entrepreneurs.

      An interactive zone "Career Opportunities Exhibition" operated at the forum venue, where participants could communicate with representatives of municipal enterprises. They shared information about current vacancies, working conditions, career opportunities for young specialists, and measures of social support for employees.

      Moreover, the exhibition featured stands from the "Work of Russia" personnel center and the mobile career point of the Youth Career Center of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      Similar forums have already taken place in the Chkalovsky, Navashinsky, Pavlovsky, Gorodetsky districts, as well as in Dzerzhinsk and Arzamas. In the near future, forums will be held in the Semyonovsky and Balakhna districts. The results of the entire program will be summarized in April 2026 at the final in Nizhny Novgorod.

      Recall that information about all business support measures at the federal and regional levels can be found at the center "My Business" (mybusiness52.rf), which operates within the framework of the federal project "Small and Medium Entrepreneurship" of the national project "Effective and Competitive Economy." A hotline "My Business" operates at the center, where all necessary information can also be obtained. The hotline phone number is 8 (800) 301-29-94 (the call is free).

      The national project "Effective and Competitive Economy," initiated by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, represents a set of systemic measures that form the groundwork for a new model of long-term economic growth based on a supply-side economy. It includes federal projects "Small and Medium Entrepreneurship," "Labor Productivity," "Increasing Investment Activity," "Low-Carbon Development," "Development of Technological Entrepreneurship," "Development of the Financial Market," and "Development of Competition."

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