Our University has launched the Educational Center for Project-Based Learning, located at 123/125 Fontanka Embankment. Its goal is to organize and coordinate the project activities of students and teachers in the context of interaction with partners. Here, ideas for real projects will be generated, professional ties will be built, and teams will be formed to implement projects for customers. Therefore, both top officials of the university and representatives of industry companies attended the opening ceremony. The red ribbon was ceremoniously cut by the SPbGASU First Vice-Rector Svetlana Golovina and the Vice-Rector for Continuing Education Viktoria Vinogradova.

A perfect training site

Deputy Director of the SPbGASU Educational Center for Digital Competence Denis Nizhegorodtsev emphasized that the creation of the Project-Based Learning Center is a logical and necessary step for the development of a project-based environment at the university. "The Educational Center for Project-Based Learning will organize and support the project activities of students and teachers. Its task is to be a reference point: from methodological support to organizational assistance, from consultations to coordination of interaction with external partners. This is a center where resources, knowledge, experience and initiative will be united. Thus, we are creating an innovative educational environment that will allow future specialists in the field of architecture, construction and project management to develop relevant and in-demand competencies," he said.

Denis Nizhegorodtsev specified the simple but ambitious goals of the division. Firstly, the university intends to prepare competitive personnel who will be able to immediately join the work processes. Secondly, to form not only professional, but also personal qualities of students: initiative, responsibility, critical thinking, readiness for teamwork. Thirdly, to build a stable partnership with the industry and solve real problems of our colleagues.

Project activities at our university are already presented in various formats. We are talking about educational projects built into educational programs, intensive courses and hackathons, case championships, professional competitions, research projects and startups. The topics of the projects are diverse: from solving applied problems set by customers to social initiatives, from urban development plans to software products based on information modeling technologies (TIM) and artificial intelligence (AI). This allows each student to find the area in which they can fully reveal their abilities.

"For the university, the opening of this center is a new round of development, since we are strengthening the practical focus of education, strengthening ties with the industry, and stimulating innovation. Students get the opportunity to try themselves in business, learn how to work in real conditions, and take their first professional steps. The center will help partners solve urgent problems, gain access to talented and motivated students, provide an opportunity to commercialize successful projects, and strengthen the reputation of a socially responsible and progressive employer," Denis Nizhegorodtsev explained.

In addition, the center will offer an elective course on project activities - an additional training format that will allow students to implement their ideas and initiatives, form teams, and gain experience in running a project from concept to defense. This is a perfect site for practicing professional skills.

The University develops consistent interaction

Svetlana Golovina expressed confidence that the most interesting ideas would be generated and implemented here, that the platform will bring together people who are passionate about their work. "Our university is implementing a number of projects that allow graduates not to break ties with the university, but to help educate the next generations of students. Therefore, we are always waiting for feedback and are ready to strengthen cooperation with the industry," Svetlana Gennadyevna noted.

Viktoria Vinogradova recalled that project-based learning has long been an essential part of the educational process, as it helps prepare personnel with professional and personal skills that are in demand on the labor market. She emphasized the interest in this platform of the professional community, industry partners of the university, in close cooperation with whom the university implements various initiatives.

SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Youth Policy Marina Malyutina noted: “At the opening of the center, many familiar industry representatives gathered, with whom students of our university had previously interacted in certain aspects of project activities: they solved cases of partner organizations, completed course projects during the educational process, proposed initiative projects within the framework of youth policy. However, the system was not built. I would like to believe that now all the developed elements will be combined into a single whole, this space will become a platform for creativity, communication, acquisition of new competencies and experience, and we will jointly move towards our common goal - the education of highly qualified, sought-after specialists focused on life and work in Russia,” she emphasized.

The First Deputy Chairman of the Leningrad Region Urban Development Policy Committee, Chief Architect of the Leningrad Region, Associate Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Urban Planning Sergey Lutchenko recalled that practice has proven the effectiveness of involving students in work on real projects: in the cities of the region there are objects that were designed by students, and thanks to federal programs and competitions, it is possible to implement those student projects that were previously impossible to implement. According to Sergey Lutchenko, there are many promising ideas in this area, and it will be easier to accumulate them in this center. He cited a number of options for expanding cooperation and improving the practical skills of students.

The SPbGASU Chief Architect Svetlana Bochkareva drew attention to the design of the premises, which was done by the students. "We received the facility in a deplorable state, and today it has become a beautiful, modern and stylish space. This once again proves the level of professional training of our students and their desire to develop," she emphasized.

The industry supports youth ideas

Industry representatives noted that they have been cooperating with SPbGASU for many years and see how the university keeps up with the time and even gets ahead of it.

"We have been cooperating with SPbGASU in the field of digital technologies for a long time and have organized many interesting projects. Any project is implemented primarily by people, so I would like to wish that this platform is always filled with properly charged people. The space is just opening, and we have already had working meetings where we discussed joint work with young people, and after the opening ceremony we also planned to discuss further initiatives. An excellent indicator that we are doing well," says Aleksandr Vysotskiy, CEO of Vysotskiy consulting.

Head of the Technical Department of TBS LLC Egor Sidelnikov noted that SPbGASU was the company's partner under a tripartite agreement with the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of St Petersburg in developing a methodology for working with cultural heritage sites. The company also acts as a provider of digital services. "As part of our cooperation, we are growing personnel, have jointly graduated more than one generation of students, for whom we offer internships with subsequent employment, participation in projects, and are ready to continue doing so," he noted.

Head of Marketing at Rombit LLC Olga Lemaeva emphasized that her company strives to help students obtain the competencies required by the market. To this end, Rombit trains teachers who develop these competencies in students. The united project-based learning center will provide new opportunities for this, the company representative is convinced.

The editor-in-chief of the Publishing House "Adres", secretary of the board of the Union of Journalists of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region Sergey Yaroshetsky, a graduate of LISI (now SPbGASU), proposed two initiatives. The first is to hold round tables on current issues in the industry with the participation of students. The second is to organize an elective course in journalism, which will help to acquire skills in communicating with the press, competently commenting on professional topics, as well as writing your own articles on professional issues, which is relevant in an era of shortage of journalists ready to cover this topic competently.

Ksenia Kukovitsa, Head of IT Projects at CDS Group, appreciated the importance of a fresh youth perspective when creating digital solutions for developers. The company cooperates with universities in developing practical cases, and the united project center of SPbGASU will become an effective platform for interaction in this area.

Deputy Director for Development of the Association of SRO "OsnovaProekt" Polina Fedyuchek reminded that the association knows all the aspirations of industry employers, therefore it assists in solving personnel issues, and the project center will help to train in-demand and highly qualified specialists.