Deputy Minister: Azerbaijani ministry invests nearly $1,800 to train one IT specialist

Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Farid Ahmadov gave an interview to the Report News Agency. He answered questions related to the education projects being implemented by the ministry and its subordinate structures.

With the support of the Israeli Technion University, a Cyber Security Center was created in Azerbaijan. Initially, it was planned that Azerbaijani specialists would also teach at the center. The center has already had its first graduates. Will local specialists be involved in the educational process this year?

Under the agreements reached, Technion University has undertaken to train 15 local specialists in accordance with established standards. It was planned to involve local specialists in the educational process in the second academic year, after a year of preparation. They will begin working at the center in the second academic year at a certain stage of training.

However, this does not mean that foreign teachers will be completely excluded from the educational process. They will teach in parallel.

Azerbaijan has been a member of the space club for 10 years. And in the coming years, the country is planning to launch its fourth satellite into orbit. How is the process of training domestic specialists in the space sector going?

- Over these 10 years, we have already formed a professional group of specialists, particularly engineers.

Over the past period, serious investments have been made in the training of specialists. Managing satellites requires professionalism. Our specialists took part in various educational programs and training abroad, successfully passed certification, and gained skills in managing satellites. The issue of training professional personnel will remain the focus of attention in the subsequent period.

- It is known that the Azerbaijani labor market needs 8,000 IT specialists annually. In this regard, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan is implementing the Technest program to train local IT specialists. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of this program?

- The demand for specialists depends on market trends. Since the market is developing dynamically, the demand for specialists in the IT market is growing day by day. If today we are talking about 8,000 specialists, next year this figure could reach 12,000.

About 3,500 specialists graduate from Azerbaijani universities every year. Based on this, we, in turn, plan to train 3,500 specialists this year within the Technest project. Last year we finished the training of about 700 specialists, 80% of whom have already been employed.

Some graduates are teenagers and cannot get a job until they reach adulthood. Taking this into account, the figures are significantly high.

If we talk about the justification of the investment, I can say that we invest about 2,500-3,000 manats ($1,470 - $1,763) in the training of each specialist, for about a 6-7 month period.

However, the average salary of a specialist in the market is 1,500 manats ($880). If you calculate their annual income and take into account the number of specialists, the return on investment is several hundred percent.

- You have been working in the education sector for quite a while. There is an opinion that, from in terms of training personnel in the IT field, higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan do not meet modern standards. Therefore, some people prefer to attend individual courses lasting several months. How true are these statements?

- The courses provide practical knowledge in a short time, and in higher education institutions you receive fundamental knowledge that allows you to develop in this field of science. For example, get a master's or doctorate degree.

The courses do not have such a goal. You don't need to study for four years to become a programmer and work in the IT field. The courses provide access to the market in a shorter time. That is, they do not replace university education, they only complement it and satisfy short-term demand.