Human Capital Formation in High-Tech: Features of Government Policy

Abstract

   Purpose: is to reveal the peculiarities of government policy aimed at building human capital in high-tech industries.   Methods: this research is based on a systems approach; decomposition of human capital in order to identify systemic gaps in its formation; qualitative (traditional) analysis of government programs and projects; a comparative analysis of the directions of Russian government policy and some leading countries in the field of high technologies aimed at human capital development.   Results: the essence and structure of the organization's human capital are considered based on the stages of its reproduction, as well as from the position of its expanded interpretation. Systemic gaps in the formation of human capital of high-tech organizations have been identified, including gaps in the formation of individual and corporate human capital, as well as in the institutional and infrastructural support for its reproduction. The features of Russian government policy aimed at the formation of human capital in the high-tech sector are shown, in comparison with the policies of a number of foreign countries. The role of government programs and projects (“Priority2030”, “Professionalitet” and “Advanced Engineering Schools”) in overcoming systemic gaps in the formation of human capital in high-tech organizations is outlined.   Conclusions and Relevance: the performed analysis showed the presence of a wide range of government policy measures of a number of countries that occupy leading positions in the field of high technology, aimed at developing human capital in the high-tech sector. Among them are the development of fundamental science, interdisciplinary and mathematical knowledge, STEM competencies, as well as strengthening the interaction between the academic sector and the high-tech sector. The arsenal of tools of domestic government policy includes a focus on practice-oriented training, the development of digital competencies, advanced training of management personnel, as well as the development of interaction between the academic and high-tech sectors. The federal project “Advanced Engineering Schools” corresponds to the elimination of the largest number of system gaps. At the same time, the systemic gap at the stage of formation of general human capital, which manifests itself in the poor physical and mathematical training of schoolchildren, remains unresolved.