The Results of the “5-100 Project”: Projection on the Employment of Graduates

Abstract

The issue of graduate employment is considered as a function of systemic transformations of higher education caused by large-scale public investments. The article analyzes the results of the 5-100 project (2013–2020), the purpose of which was to adapt Russian universities to world standards and include them in the international educational environment. Upon its completion, a significant reformatting of curricula and standards was achieved, a transition to a new organization of the educational process was carried out, which together had an impact on more successful employment of graduates of leading universities. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the graduates employment of leading universities (n = 18) and other universities (n = 185) that took part in the study of the Institute of Sociology of the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in October-December 2021. Sample structure: employed graduates (N = 3788) of these universities, including (N = 368) graduates of universities participating in the 5-100 project. Also interviewed were 203 experts – vice-rectors and heads of university employment services, of which 18 people represented leading universities. The sampling model was formed by statistical quotas, proportional to the number of graduates in the federal districts of the Russian Federation. The surveyed young specialists had no more than 1–5 years of work experience since graduation. Thus, all of them were trained during the period of the “5-100” project. One of the main conclusions in the study was the recognition that training at “5-100” group universities provided graduates with well-paid work in their specialty and a high degree of personal satisfaction with their work.