In Kryvyi Rih, a professional skills competition "Electrotechnical Marathon - 2024" took place. More than 70 specialists from production enterprises and specialised educational institutions of the city competed for the right to be called the best in the profession. Metinvest specialists from Ingulets GOK took the winnin-places.
According to the rules of the competition, the participants were divided into two categories - "Adepts" and "Followers", based on their work experience and professional skills. The first ones were the representatives of manufacturers, including the specialists from Metinvest's iron ore enrichment works, Rudomine, Kryvbasvybukhprom, Epirok Ukraine, AMKR and others. The second category included the students of Kryvyi Rih vocational training schools.
One of the main conditions of the competition is the ability of participants to perform work correctly and quickly, observing all the rules of occupational safety, to know both theory and practice perfectly, to understand equipment and diagrams. The tasks were assessed by experts in the electrical industry. Among them were Oleksandr Gaziev, a veteran of the electrical industry, Igor Peresunko, Candidate of Technical Science in Electrical Engineering from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Kryvyi Rih National University, Hanna Nikitina, a teacher in electrical engineering at the Industrial Vocational College of KNU, and Andrii Tyndiuk, a representative of the Interregional Department of the State Labour Service.
Four Metinvest representatives from Ingulets and Northern Iron Ore Mining and Enrichment Works (GOKs) reached the super final with the same number of scores. The three winners were determined in a fierce competition. The entire podium was taken by Ingulets GOK's representatives: Oleksandr Galichenko, who works in the Networks and Substations Shop at Ingulets GOK, won bronze, while Andrii Starenkov from the Maintenance Shop took silver. Valerii Annikov, an electrician with 17 years of experience at Ingulets open pit mine, was the fastest to complete the task.
"It was not easy to take part because there were many professional participants. However, I did my best and made every effort not to let my colleagues down. I think everything was worthy. The tasks were challenging, which is not something you often get at work. I had to work hard with my head. I am proud of my team. There are great people working there who helped me learn what helped me win this time," Valerii ANNIKOV shared his impressions.
Despite the war, Metinvest's enterprises continue to implement training programmes for their employees, including electrical engineering.
"At Metinvest, we pay great attention to the professional development of our employees. When hiring, we offer our employees adaptation, support, retraining and professional development programmes. Such competitions are a great opportunity to demonstrate the high level of competence of our specialists and once again raise the issue of the importance of blue-collar jobs," said Darina ZAITSEVA, Chief Specialist of the HR Hiring and Development Department at Metinvest Group's Ingulets GOK.
The Electrical Marathon is a project aimed at raising the prestige of electrical professions and motivating young people to master working professions. The event is organised annually by specialists from the Kryvyi Rih Vocational Education and Training Centre.
"This year, 14 industrial enterprises of Kryvyi Rih and 14 vocational schools have agreed to compete in the competition. We are demonstrating the unity of Kryvyi Rih's professional industrial community and proving that it is possible to carry out useful activities even during the war. Encouraging electrical engineering professionals is a topical and important issue today, as such specialists are always in demand in industrial cities, and during the war it is crucial for the recovery of our economy. We are grateful to Metinvest for supporting our efforts and encouraging its employees to participate in competitions for the prestige of the profession for the second time," said Andrii SEMENOV, Head of the Vocational Education and Training Centre.
