MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Almost 150 graduates of the Muravyov-Amursky 2030 management training program are employed in the Far East, Russia's Minister for Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunov told a news conference at TASS.

"The number of graduates, who are on duty, should soon reach about 150 people. Is that a high number or not - it's difficult to judge, since we know that just one person may change history. Anyway, I can say that 150 people across eleven regions of the Far Eastern Federal District is a serious strengthening of the team," the minister said at a news conference dedicated to the Muravyov-Amursky 2030 program. (Count Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky (1809-1881) was East Siberia's governor, general. He founded cities in the Far East - Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk and Vladivostok.)

The competition is 160 applications per one place, the minister said. "While we had a little more than 2,000 applications for the first course, that was a lot, since there were only 50 places, and the competition was more than 40 people per place. As for the fifth course, which we are launching this May, we have more than 10,000 applications. The competition is already 160 people per place, and I hope this high competition will not scare away talented, motivated people," he added.

The Muravyov-Amursky 2030 program's leader Ksenia Kishkareva noted the program contributed to shaping of the management community in the Far East and the Arctic. "The final goal of our graduation program is the community. Every region of the Far East already has teams of our graduates who help and support those who come and, of course, they continue to communicate, work on joint tasks, and thus, over time, we will build a framework, a network that can certainly demonstrate high results in achieving goals of the Far East and the Arctic's development," she said.

Yakutia's Governor Aisen Nikolaev added that the program and its graduates are designed to meet tasks and needs of the Far East and the Arctic, and that graduates have been developing effectively those territories.

The Muravyov-Amursky 2030program is designed for a year-long course that includes educational modules in regions of the Far East, the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation, and in Moscow. The key feature is a combination of academic training, industry expertise, and practical work on real projects to develop territories. The students have internship programs at federal, regional and municipal authorities, they study history, culture, Oriental studies, and management.