The winners and participants of the first turner professional skills competition will receive financial awards to the total amount of 44,000 rubles. This year the plant allocated significantly higher financial awards.
   Twelve turners who took first and second places in competitions in six Severstal's shops will participate in the company-wide competition, which will take place at the 1^st mechanical repairs shop.
   The list of shops-participants includes the mechanical repairs shop, the shop of rolling equipment repairs, the joist web shop, steel making equipment repairshops ?1 and ?2 and cold rolling shop.
   All participants are prepared to prove their professional skills at the highest level, although they have varying qualification grades ranging from 3 to 6. Nine of them are under 25 years of age.
   The competition in held in two stages. Both theoretical knowledge and practical skills are evaluated. It's for the first time the knowledge base is checked by tests in ten areas, as it allows for objective and precise evaluation of knowledge required for turners to have.
   After testing the participants will show their practical skills to a panel of judges, including shops and HR department managers. Leonid Gavrilov, Severstal's acting HR director, will open the awards ceremony.
   Company-wide professional skills competitions are held within the framework of the regulations, signed by Alexey Mordashov, Severstal's general director, in April 2002. This year four other professional skills competitions are expected to take place at Severstal - of repairmen, electricians, hoistmen and car-drivers.