At EkoNiva's enterprises, machine operators engaged in crop production have completed an upskilling programme. It started last November and covered facilities in Voronezh, Kaluga, Ryazan, Novosibirsk, Leningrad, Kursk oblasts and the Volga region.

Over the five-month course, EkoNiva's training centre experts upskilled around 450 specialists. They were given a range of lectures and practicals on the proper operation and maintenance of vehicles used on the holding's farms. In addition, the participants’ interaction during the programme facilitated establishing effective communication between the management of the company’s dairies, agronomy and engineering departments.

‘We run such training projects at our enterprises every year. Now that the lead times for spare parts are longer than before, it is yet more important to improve our machine operators’ skills: they need to keep an even closer eye on our fleet and carry out preventative maintenance to avoid serious malfunctions. As a result, we can better manage the production costs’, says Konstantin Kanatov, Head of Engineering Department Training Centre, EkoNiva-APK Holding.

In a month, EkoNiva's enterprises will launch a similar project for machine operators involved in livestock farming. Over 250 specialists are expected to participate in the programme.