The fact that Russia is rich in natural resources, including precious stones, is well known across the world. Besides, this country was blessed with craftsmen who were able to create unique products literally out of any material. Thus, high-quality rough diamonds and top-notch artisans in the middle of the last century made it possible to establish the School of Russian Cut at the Kristall Diamond Factory in Smolensk, which was second to none.
What is going on in this field now? Diamonds continue to be mined and the traditions of the School of Russian Cut are not forgotten, but it is rather difficult to find high-skilled diamond cutters nowadays. Hundreds of people are working at factories to turn rough diamonds into polished gems, but it is a fact that training centers for the diamond industry in Russia are virtually non-existent.
The diamond manufacturing industry is one of the sectors that raise Russia’s prestige in the world and serves a “visiting card” for the country. That is why the opening of the diamond industry oriented Resource and Personnel Center in Moscow in 2009 on the basis of the Production Department at College of Entrepreneurship No. 11 was a great step forward in the field of training for such an important and traditional Russian industry as diamond cutting. The creation of this Resource Center was the result of the victory won by the college in the National Project of Education and that of the collaborative effort between the college specialists, several diamond processing companies, Gokhran of Russia and the Moscow Department of Education.
What is a resource center? We can say that this is a combination of people, technology and equipment focused on the export market. It is a space where they meet for a constructive dialogue, including representatives of the educational sector, business community, government authorities and those who want to learn a new trade or improve their professional skills. This is a new and promising model of interaction, which allows businesses to directly participate in the training of their future employees, giving the latter a possibility to get immersed in the production process from the very first months of training, turning into members of the professional community.
Despite the "young age" of the Resource Center, it has a long tradition of training diamond cutters. The center had its predecessor, which was Vocational School No. 150 established in 1968 by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 2005, the school was transformed into the Production Department at College of Entrepreneurship No. 11, which gave birth to the Resource Center. One of its goals is to preserve the traditions of Russian Cut, which means a top-quality cut of a stone.
From the first days of its existence, the Resource Center declared itself as a major base for the development of educational and professional standards in diamond cutting training. The center developed the federal state educational standard for next-generation vocational training with regard to the new specialty in intermediate vocational education, Diamond Processing Technology, and published a series of teaching materials including 15 manuals on the technique of diamond cutting. Due to this fundamental approach to the training of future diamond cutters the Resource Center received support from influential organizations. Thus, in team with its key partners, OOO S.D. Diamond and Gokhran of Russia, the Resource Center has developed an innovative scheme of social partnership permitting to provide rough diamonds for the training process and making it possible for its social partners to implement professional certification of college graduates. This means that students working only with natural raw materials in the course of their training will have an opportunity to be certified by international agencies in the field of diamond processing after they graduate from the college. Those who pass certification successfully are issued appropriate documents allowing them to work with many diamond companies at a world level.
Within the frames of the National Project of Education the Resource Center purchased the most up-to-date equipment for a complete production cycle in processing rough diamonds to turn them into polished gems, including laser and computer systems, a diamond examination laboratory, educational collections of precious stones, polished diamonds, raw materials, etc. This allows students to get immersed into the atmosphere of diamond manufacturing from the very first day and learn about the equipment and raw materials not from books, but in practice. This also attracts practiced diamond cutters: the Resource Center is constantly running various advanced training courses and master classes.
Currently, the Resource Center is moving towards training for the diamond industry in Russia, including professional training and re-training of adult population under various programs for diamond cutters, gemstone cutters, laser and computer technology in diamond processing, jewelry sellers and diamond sorters. That is why the Resource Center turned into a training place for novice cutters (students) and successful professionals, jewelry buyers and sellers, production supervisors and those who take interest in the creative part of diamond cutting. It is important that all those who have been trained at the Resource Center get a complete picture of the cutting process, starting from developing a design sketch to its implementation. It is noteworthy that this training center is free of charge, which is a rare case in modern times. Its teachers and instructors are always happy to share their accumulated experience with those who want to master the intricacies of jewelry, and are waiting for applicants.
Such a comprehensive and thorough approach to business education in diamond cutting and its practice-oriented thrust, comprising the latest trends in the diamond sector and permanent search for strategic partners and fields of activities make the Resource Center a flagship in the business of training diamond cutters in Russia.
Courtesy of Natalia Krylova, Social Media Manager, School of Diamond Cutting
