From April 16 to April 18, 2019, in the Khalarchinskaya tundra, Yakutia, Russia, the II Professional Skill Contest “Arctic Skills-2019” was held among reindeer herders and students of the Nizhnekolymsky district. The event was prepared at the initiative of the Arctic College of the Peoples of the North, together with the Turvaurgin reindeer herding cooperative, and the Department of Yakutian Agriculture.

The purpose of the competition is to attract the attention of the international, federal and regional society to the issue of training employees to work in the Arctic, including northern domestic reindeer herding, by organizing and conducting a competition of professional skills.

Competitions were held in four competencies: Design camp and construction of the chum (traditional dwelling), reindeer herder, the chum keeper, operation and maintenance of off-road motorized vehicles. 15 students and young reindeer herders took part in the competitions, while the main expert and judge of the professional skill contest was Andrei Dyachkov – reindeer herder, a veteran of labor, mentor of the brigade No. 4 of the Turvaurgin reindeer herding community.