Regional and Industrial System for Training Trade Union Activists

The paper studies the problems and prospects for development of the system of trade union education and debates the issues of raising the level of awareness and competence among trade union activists. The study’s information base is the data provided by the Sverdlovsk region branch of the Russian Mining and Metallurgical Trade Union. This information serves as the basis for the first stage of the research – a retrospective analysis of the system for training trade union personnel using the case study of a large industrial trade union in 2011–2017. At the second stage, we identify the strategic directions for improving the system for training trade union staff of regional industrial trade unions. The authors test and adapt business education technologies to the conditions and tasks of the regional and industrial system for educating trade union activists. We also determine the priority tools for knowledge management which, if introduced to the trade union education system, can enhance the effectiveness of implementation of a trade union’s functions and tasks. The research results are of an applied nature and have practical importance; they can be scaled and introduced into the training of personnel in regional trade unions of any industry. The implementation of the authors’ proposals will allow increasing the level of social and economic guarantees for employees.