Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the ZiO-Podolsk Machine-Building Plant in Moscow Region

On his visit to the plant, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin inspected the machinery department producing the equipment for the BN-800 nuclear reactor for the Beloyarsk NPP, and component parts for the repairs of the BN-600 reactor. Director Boris Vasilyev told Mr Putin that the plant has been increasing its production despite the current economic difficulties.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited members of staff and jobseekers at the Podolsk Employment Centre

“Under the circumstances, the Government’s task is to support the real economy for minimal lay-offs and to help people who have found themselves in a predicament. We should have enough resources and funds for this (we have recalled that in recent time we have achieved some results. With this aim in view, we have raised unemployment benefits almost to 5,000 roubles, and earmarked additional funds for employment centres.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin chaired a conference on upgrading a system of training for specialists on demand

"The main strategic goals of modernising higher education have already been determined. We must build a flexible educational system that should meet the demands of society in general and its members in particular. It is important to introduce modern programmes of education and methods of assessing its quality. It is this system that will give young specialists a chance to find a worthy place in the labour market, and will ensure permanent growth of the quality of labour by granting a wide range of services on professional retraining and upgrading of skills".

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with students from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MFTI) in the city of Dolgoprudny in the Moscow Region

"As you know, today the world and this country are undergoing economic difficulties that also affect higher education. First of all, it is important to make sure that those students who pay for their education are able to do so. Another very important and urgent issue is employment."

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Tomsk Governor Viktor Kress

Vladimir Putin and Viktor Kress discussed the social and economic situation in the Tomsk Region.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and had television linkups with its branches in Korolev, Moscow Region, and in Kiev

During the linkup with Kiev, Mr Putin stressed the necessity of developing Russian-Ukrainian educational and scientific contacts. "Such pooled efforts in personnel training and research would certainly promote our industries, especially high technologies," he said, adding that Ukraine was known for high-tech industries, in particular, ship and aircraft building.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region

He saw its new 17-story dormitory and laboratories.