Firstly, it should be said that our programme “Business and Politics in Modern Asia” is developed and implemented as a practice-oriented one. The main task for us is to teach and educate the students so that they will be able to find a good job after graduation very fast.
When I was working in business as a Head of the Department, it was difficult for me to find well-qualified employees. It was a real surprise for me. We did not have extraordinary requirements to them: they should just know English and Chinese at a proper level, have basic knowledge and skills in economics and logistics and that is all. But we could not find employees on the position, despite on good salary.
It was surprising for me for a long time, and then I understood that specialization of our graduates did not meet the market demand. So, when I became an Academic Supervisor, we stated to update the study programme together with my colleagues.
A great role in changing the study plan was played by professor Aleksey Maslov who is an outstanding sinologist. In several interviews Prof. Maslov is talking about the lack of professional orientalists, who could help Russian business. So, we implemented such subjects that would provide students with an opportunity to be confident in communication with representatives of Asian business, to understand common processes in Asian countries and to be in demand on the labor market.
So, in my opinion, the “perfect” graduate should know English at a proper level as well as Asian languages, and possesses knowledge in economics, management and so on. The last things, of course, depend on students themselves – what exactly they want to do, in what sphere they want to work.
Therefore, our programme is a starting point that helps graduates to make the final decision about the sphere he/she wants to work. Moreover, each year we develop relations with new partners, which provide students opportunities for internships. We already have a tendency that after internship our students receive job offers, since the employers are satisfied with their work. If we are talking about personal skills, of course, we want to see motivated students who understand their strong points and realize what they really want to do. I think nowadays motivation is one of the keys to success.