The Moscow Department of information technology (DIT) has announced that it will hold a series of lectures and master classes, led by industry experts, pertaining to smart cities for IT students across the capital.
The initiative was designed specifically for secondary school students to facilitate the development and implementation of IT solutions for the capital.
The classes will provide the students with information on the opportunities available across the sector. Students will be able to ask questions of industry experts to help inform their future educational and career aspiration.
"While educating students on the basics of programming, big data analysis and information security is critical, they should also gain an understanding of how this knowledge is applied in practice. It is important they grasp how technology can change people's lives for the better and helps businesses grow," said Eduard Lysenko, Head of the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and Minister of the Government of Moscow.
The first class was hosted by the Head of DIT, Eduard Lysenko. The class was dedicated to providing an overview of how modern technology is used to manage a city of 12 million people, and how Moscow has become a world leader in smart cities. Future plans for further urban digitalization was also discussed.
Over the academic year, several more classes will be held by experts from DIT covering topics from big data, neural networks, communications infrastructure, information security and other IT industry-related subjects.
In 2019, 35 IT classes were launched at secondary school across the city. Children learnt the basics of programming, robotics, big data analysis, and other key IT related skills. Students now have access to advanced equipment, enabling them to build and program a robot, develop their own mobile app, or create a 3D model. Graduates can enroll in leading universities in the capital, placing them in good stead for future employment in leading Russian and international companies, including DIT, with the goal of smart city development.
The IT classes are being held with the support of several leading Russian IT companies, including Yandex and ARPP Otechestvenny Soft; and higher education institutions ITMO University, National Research Institute Higher School of Economics, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow Polytechnic University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI), Russian Technological University MIREA (RTU MIREA) and Moscow State Technological University "STANKIN". With their support, students can attend thematic lectures, tours IT companies, join webinars and participate in competitions.
Alongside IT, students located in Moscow can attend other classes ranging from engineering, academic, medicine and pre-vocational cadet classes. These skills-based classes have been designed to help students qualify for the most sought-after professions, even before entering a university.