07 November 2008 ORT Moscow and Strasbourg have designs on the future Two of the ORT familys leading colleges have signed an agreement tailor made to ensure that the best education and training is available to ORT students regardless of national borders. The agreement between ORT Strasbourg and the Moscow ORT Technology College is a demonstration of the benefits of belonging to an international organisation in a period of globalisation. Under this preliminary agreement, Moscow ORT Technology College will share its considerable expertise in teaching fashion design with ORT Strasbourg, which has just started a BTS diploma course in the subject that allows graduates to continue their studies at a Masters level in university. The diploma builds on the success of the one-year foundation course in design launched by ORT Strasbourg two years ago. Twelve years after joining the ORT network, Moscow ORT Technology College is recognised as offering the best vocational training in fashion design in Russia. I am very happy to sign this agreement and look forward to hosting teachers from Moscow at Strasbourg and sending our teachers to Moscow to learn their techniques, said ORT Strasbourg Principal Claude Sabbah (pictured second from left with, from left, ORT Lyon Director Michel Benoilid, Moscow ORT Technology College Director Yuriy Mironenko and ORT Russia Director Dr Slava Leschiner). ORT Russia Director Dr Slava Leschiner said that ORT Strasbourgs dormitory facilities meant that Russian students will have the opportunity of staying there for a semester or even a year. We have also discussed the possibility of undertaking joint projects using distance learning technology because the Moscow college hosts the ORT Lawson Vocational Training Centre, which has a lot of experience in setting up distance learning projects, Dr Leschiner said. To start with, the two colleges are looking at short term student and staff exchanges and the cultivation of professional contacts in areas such as curriculum design and training programmes. I am delighted with this development, Dr Leschiner said. The Moscow ORT Technology College is at the stage in its development where it has a lot of experience that it can share with the whole ORT network throughout the world. And in return, the direct contacts which the College makes with other ORT institutions enrich it very much. The agreement was signed last week when Mr Sabbah and his then deputy Michel Benoilid visited Moscow. During their brief stay in the Russian capital, they toured the College, spoke to students and staff, and experienced a student fashion show. Mr Sabbah was impressed by what he saw and noted that the teaching, classes, workshops and equipment were the same as in Strasbourg a compatibility which should facilitate the development of closer ties. The new design courses at Strasbourg are expected to double their enrolment over the next year or so and linking with Moscow will further enhance their attractiveness to potential students, Mr Sabbah said. The Moscow ORT Technology Colleges students regularly win city- and nationwide fashion contests and enjoy master classes with internationally renowned Russian couturiers including Viatcheslav Zaitsev and Valentin Yudashkin. Couturier students not only learn the basics of making and modelling of clothes, textiles, drawing and graphics they can also pursue higher level qualifications in Computer Aided Design (CAD), textile drawing and painting. The College has 1,400 full time students enrolled in five faculties: advertising technology, fashion design, economics, hospitality and marketing. ORT Strasbourg has 450 students at school and university level. Post high school courses offered include international trade and commerce, computer sciences and a special two-year course to prepare students for Frances top engineering schools. It is also the first private college in France to offer a three-year bachelor degree course in collaboration with a university the Licence Professionel des Metiers de lOptique et de la Vision for opticians.