A Yorkshire based company SOT2K is offering a range of consultancy services related to the Russian market. We were established exactly 10 years ago in July 1998. The three partners in the company have a complementary mix of skills and substantial experience of international education and training. All three of us have been involved in transnational collaboration through decades of work in private and public sectors in the Soviet Union, Russia, China, Cambodia and the UK. 
 
Over the last 5 years SOT2K has developed into a specialised provider of Russian education and training market entry strategies. Dozens of UK universities, colleges, boarding and language schools have established themselves in the Russian market through partnerships with Russian institutions and government bodies through SOT2K.

Hundreds of Russian educationalists have visited UK for various training courses funded through Russian Government “Education” programme through SOT2K. We are leading a number of UK universities and colleges involved in the Training Programme for the Winter Olympic Games in 2014 in the city of Sochi on the Russian Black See Coast as well as World Students games in the Russian city of Kazan in 2013.

Best examples of the collaborative work with the Russian institutions can be found at Leeds Metropolitan University and Walsall college. These UK institutions have been very active in the Russian market over the last four years. They have developed long term commercial partnerships in Moscow and and some other part of Russia but the most successful projects they have are in the South of Russia in Krasnodar Region.

This region will host the Winter Olympic Games in 2014 and the Russian government is using the games as the catalyst for major development of the Russian stretch of the Black See coast. The demand for western style training for service industries is insatiable in this area as the Russians want to attract European holidaymakers to the region.

Local authorities in the Krasnodar region are throwing money into staff development abroad for teachers, educational managers, sports coaches, event managers, business administrators just to mention a few. They are also inviting foreign experts to the region to do the training and consultancy work on the ground.

SOT2K and Krasnodar Education Authorities have jointly developed a five year Action Plan leading up to the Games in 2014.

SOT2K has been appointed an official UK operator for the annual Sochi International Investment Forum which the Russians rank as high as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. SOT2K is a one stop shop for those who think of Russia as their current or future market. We do visas, full travel agent services, translation service, money transfers, Russian style financial documents and many other things.

What you don't know about Russia you don't need to, when you've got SOT2K.

Alexander Zhabin 
Director  SOT2K