Together with Russian Post increasing the efficiency of training future logistics specialists

Case championships are competitions where youth teams solve actual business problems from different companies. The essence of such events is to solve an actual task, or case, of a business or other organization as a result of teamwork. On May 11, a case championship on logistics from Russian Post was held at Polytechnic University, organized by the Graduate School of Industrial Management (GSIM) of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade (IPMEiT) of SPbPU.

The case championship is supported by the «Human Centered Technologies and Solutions» strategic project of the «Priority 2030» federal strategic academic leadership program in the «Promotion of Educational Programs and R&D Results» area. Today’s championship is an investment in your future in terms of professional development. You will not only ‘try on’ those tasks and challenges, which the logistics services market faces, but also get acquainted with your future colleagues from different educational institutions of St. Petersburg, with whom you will enter a new era of logistics and build unique logistics chains for the benefit of our region and the whole country, Maria Vrublevskaya, the head of the Priority 2030 Program Executive Directorate, addressed the teams with a welcome speech.

Ten teams participated in the case championship. These were students of Polytechnic University, studying in the «International Logistics» undergraduate profile, and students of the «Operations in Logistics» program from four colleges. Before getting to the championship, the guys went through a preliminary competitive selection, formed teams of five people and an accompanying teacher — team mentor.

The jury of the case championship consisted of GSOM teachers working on educational programs in «Management», «International Logistics» and «International Logistics Systems», and the management of Russian Post. The case championship was also attended by industrial partners of the Graduate School of Industrial Logistics Management — representatives of one of the leaders of international transportation company «ATV», the leading Russian distribution and service logistics operator «ALIDI-Nord», forwarding company «Meat Terminal», Russian agent of the world famous shipping company «CMG Russia» and transport and logistics company «Renus Intermodal Systems».

We pay a lot of attention to working with our industrial partners, involving them in the educational process, project activities, and work with students, Vladimir Schepinin, director of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade, said at the opening of the case championship. Russian Post is our strategic partner, so today’s case championship, attended by the company’s top executives, is a significant event for the Institute.

To solve the practical tasks, the representatives of the Russian Post offered the students five actual tasks: to work out the alternative ways of exchange with the foreign postal administrations, to work out the solutions for efficiency of trunk routes and logistic inner-city routes, to optimize the delivery of postal items from the automated sorting center to courier delivery sections and to work out the algorithm of courier action for optimization of delivery of postal items to consumers. The conditions of the tasks were given in the form of real data, which the company’s employees face every day in their work.

One of the goals of the case championship is to immerse students in the real specifics of the company’s work, to give them an opportunity to think about the solution of specific tasks to build the logistics process and provide all the stated services to the customer without loss of quality, said Elena Protasova, head of the macro-region training center of the Russian Post Corporate University.

Representatives of Russian Post were at the case study championship throughout — they advised the participants, conducted a full examination of the tasks and motivated the students to develop a fresh perspective on solving the tasks.

Our interaction with Russian Post began when we signed a long-term agreement in the fall on internships for students from our high school. Then we organized a tour of the company’s distribution logistics center for students and teachers. In December, we had the idea of holding a logistics case championship by Russian Post on the basis of Polytechnic University, which was supported first by the regional management of the company and later by the management in Moscow, says Olga Kalinina, director of the Graduate School of Industrial Management.

At the end of the case championship, the jury summed up the results, handed diplomas and gifts from Russian Post to the first, second and third place winners. However, no one left disappointed — all participants received certificates and souvenirs from Polytechnic University.

Prepared by the SPbPU Graduate School of Industrial Management