Читаем Позитивные изменения, Том 3 №1, 2023. Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 1 (2023) полностью

Позитивные изменения, Том 3 №1, 2023. Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 1 (2023)

Irina Sinelina believes that it is important to have a good basic education in liberal arts, which builds analytical skills, and a good knowledge of English, because much of the material about evaluation is written in English. The rest you can learn by practice.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARD

As mentioned earlier, one of the stages in the development of a profession is a professional standard. Why do we need a professional standard in any activity? As noted in Decree No.23 of the Russian Government dated January 22, 2013 professional standards are applied[19]: in developing the personnel policy, preparing job descriptions, in developing vocational education programs and standards.

According to Alexey Kuzmin, an attempt was made in 2015 to develop a professional standard for a specialist in program and policy evaluation in the social sphere. It was initiated by an independent business expert, Alexander Ovchinnikov. The application for development was registered at the Ministry of Labor of Russia website. A working group was established, including representatives of Process Consulting Company and ASPPE, basic research and analysis of the professional activities were conducted, the first draft of the professional standard was developed, and a public discussion took place; however, the work on the document was halted at some point, and the professional standard was not approved by the Ministry.

“I think it is a little premature to develop such a professional standard today. There is no profession yet, it has not yet been established. The big picture, as seen by the Ministry of Labor, still lacks both supply and demand for this profession,” Alexey Kuzmin explains.

Natalia Kosheleva suggests that the ministry’s job was to develop professional standards for basic professions, something that a program and policy evaluation specialist clearly isn’t so far.

“The Ministry of Labor had different expectations at the time, and it had a mission to cover all mass occupations. Ours is definitely not one of those. I think that was the reason. But the standard may indeed emerge at some point, as the profession develops further. When we gain enough visibility for the state to decide we need regulation. It’s like the story of licensing all kinds of activities. To be seen, there must be a lot of you,” says Natalia Kosheleva.

The National Council for Professional Qualifications under the President of the Russian Federation also reviews drafts of professional standards in Russia. Based on the National Council’s conclusions, a decision is made to approve professional standards. As explained by Artem Shadrin, General Director of the National Agency for the Development of Qualifications, when developing a professional standard, it is important not to duplicate existing ones, approved under a similar name. It would be good to get the support of some reputable organizations working in this area, as well as the relevant federal ministry, which would confirm the need for developing such a document.

Once a professional standard has been approved by the Ministry of Labor of Russia, it is then sent to the National Council for Professional Qualifications under the President of the Russian Federation. If approved by the National Council, which represents leading employers’ organizations, such as the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, trade unions and federal ministries, the standard is then enacted by order of the Ministry of Labor and registered with the Ministry of Justice.

Why does the professional standard story remain unfinished? What could be the reasons?

“First, the Ministry of Labor may see no need for such a professional standard. This is a classic unsolved problem. For example, as for a director per se, there is no such professional standard, and the ministry believes that it is not necessary. Likewise, there is no professional standard for an entrepreneur. On the one hand, this doesn’t seem like a job function; but, on the other hand, it can be considered a type of professional activity. The Ministry of Labor has not yet agreed to develop a professional standard for this activity,” Artem Shadrin says.

He explains it may also happen that an initiative group tasked with developing a professional standard fails to have it approved by the relevant ministry, or the project might not win support from professional associations.

“You cannot get a standard approved without a consensus in the professional community. That’s the challenge: developing a professional standard is a search for touching points. Its development is a long story, but nevertheless, nothing is impossible. As long as there is a desire and support from the relevant ministry, which is always important,” Artem Shadrin adds.