27 Jun Moscow Friendly – Day 3 & 4
Indy and I have been particularly fortunate on this trip to be hosted by Olga Minaeva – Our no-nonsense Russian expert and local host for this Moscow Friendly before Worldskills Kazan 2019 – only 55 days before the mayhem of international competition.
Today’s workshop produced a fine selection of work in a short period of time, titled: “Printed Technologies”, but very much pitched to turn on the core creative skills guided by Elena Kolesnichenko.
We took advantage of a well considered programme and warmer weather (before the rain) to be guided through the famous Red Square, Moscow City and later, dining together on the Prospekt Mira.
Growing up, I had two distinct memories of Moscow not dressed up by Hollywood:
- The first was Mathias Rust landing his Cessna 172 near Red Square in May 1987 — Just over 32 years ago. It was an amazing act that many argue really helped Gorbachev bring the cold war to an end. Picture me as a ten years old and a teenager only nine years older had just outsmarted MIG interceptors, casually crossing the Iron Curtain and landed on a bridge. Epic.
- And of course, the pre-internet, widely televised imagery of tanks shelling the Parliament building during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis – With all the hope of a new Soviet Union that Boris Yeltsin spoke of on top of those tanks.
So, seeing these sites, walking these streets, catching trolley-buses and Metros all these years later, to now be training alongside the Korean’s and Russian’s in one of the only VET base Print & Publishing Colleges in Moscow makes me think how far politics, innovation and education has still to go to fulfil the promise for young locals.
Jobs & Growth™ = Работа и рост™
