Integration of the business community and edu-cation as a factor of innovation development of the Region''s economy (on the example of the lipetsk region)

Modern global processes identified human capital, education and science as determinants of innovation development. In order to achieve economic growth the government should create the necessary conditions for effective interaction of business, scientific and educational processes at the level of each region. Most of the subjects of the Russian Federation tend to the mono-production of individual industries. The basic industry of the Lipetsk region is metallurgy. The policy of modernization and differentiation of economy allowed to reduce the share of this sector to 55% and led to the rapid development of other industries, agriculture, food and processing industry and construction. Innovations are widely supported and new types of production are created in the region. High rates of economic development have affected the regional labor market, changed the structure of labor demand and increased employers’ requirements to the quality of educational programs. The system of vocational education of the Lipetsk region is represented by the institutions of different levels. It offers a wide range of educational programs for traditional sectors of the regional economy. New and high-tech industries have a shortage of personnel. Employers demand engineering and technical professions and highly skilled workers. It is necessary to organize continuous improvement of qualification and create a system of continuous and advanced vocational education. To solve the problem of the shortage of labour in the region the Concept of "Human resource development of the Lipetsk region” was developed and approved. There is a Coordinating Council on staffing and vocational education. The road map for the creation of manufacturing and educational clusters was approved. Manufacturing and educational cluster of metallurgical profile proved to be effective. Three more manufacturing and educational clusters of machine-building, agriculture and construction profiles are created and developing. It is necessary to strengthen the integration of the business community and education, to form professional competence, to extend forms of interaction between the real sector of economy and professional educational institutions.