| Leonid MAYOROV, Director of the Russia-NATO Center for Social Adaptation of Military Personnel, Colonel General:
-- The Russia-NATO Center for Social Adaptation of Discharged Military Personnel began operating in March 2002. It is entrusted with two tasks: information and consultation and training. Last year, we trained 104 specialists working in the field of social adaptation from 60 regions of Russia under a 72-hour program. The center paid for accommodation and studies, and local authorities paid for travel and travel expenses. Now these people work in the departments of employment and education of territories and regions, in retraining centers. At courses in five regions, specialists were trained for freelance reference and consultation points created by order of the Minister of Defense in each battalion. We published a series of brochures on social adaptation. The center regularly holds conferences in the regions, where it invites representatives of authorities and employment services.
On our Internet site www.centre. russia-nato.info contains the regulatory framework for discharged military personnel, as well as the addresses of educational institutions where an officer can undergo retraining, and the addresses of employment authorities in all regions. Here the storekeeper will find the addresses and telephone numbers of local authorities that deal with social adaptation. There are also recommendations for organizing a small business. Every day 500-600 people visit our website. Officers call, write letters, and come. The main range of questions is how to get a civilian specialty and with what money, where you can get a job.
The law “On the Status of Military Personnel” states that a serviceman has the right, before dismissal, to obtain a civilian specialty at state expense. However, there is no budget money for this. And the North Atlantic Alliance has decided to increase assistance; the center’s program will be expanded this year.
To date, six branches of the center have been created in military districts. Every month 150-200 people contact them, many of whom receive assistance in retraining. Training of former military personnel takes place on the basis of higher educational institutions of the country according to a 500-hour program. The center concludes agreements with universities and pays for training - 350-380 euros per person. The specialties received are mainly the organization of small and medium-sized businesses, state and municipal administration (by the way, this specialization will be given in military institutes), accounting, legal support for business activities, even tourism and hotel management.
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