Published on: 2026-08-07
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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The number of applications submitted by prospective students to colleges and technical schools under the federal project “Professionalism” in 2026 has reached 1.1 million. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov reported on the interim results of the admission campaign in secondary vocational education (SVE) institutions for the “Professionalism” programs.
“Colleges and technical schools participating in the federal project ‘Professionalitet’ of the national project ‘Youth and Children’ have received a record number of applications from applicants this year. Since June 20, young people have submitted 1.1 million applications — exceeding the results of the 2025 admissions campaign. This result shows that working specialties are becoming more popular, and, most importantly, among the most in-demand among young people are technical fields. The training of such personnel directly affects the achievement of our country’s technological leadership — a national goal set by President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
As part of the 2026 admissions campaign, the plan for budget-funded places under the “Professional” programs is set at 283 thousand places, which is 50.5 thousand more than in 2025. Interest in the SPO system is growing year by year, emphasized Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov. For the 2026/2027 academic year, about 880 thousand budget-funded places are established in colleges and technical schools. In total, more than 4.6 thousand organizations in Russia are accessible to applicants for SPO program studies.
“The interim results of the admissions campaign clearly demonstrate a steady increase in young people’s interest in the ‘Professional Competence’ programs and confirm the high effectiveness of forming educational clusters. Applicants are choosing vocational specialties more confidently, realizing that qualified personnel are needed today for the sustainable development of the country’s economy. The competition for ‘Professional Competence’ programs already amounts to almost four applicants per place,” commented Sergey Kravtsov.
He noted that the top five most popular directions of the “Professionalitet” by the number of submitted applications included “Software Development and Management” (48.6 thousand applications), “Nursing” (45.8 thousand), “Tourism and Hospitality” (30.3 thousand), “Maintenance and Repair of Motor Vehicles” (28.7 thousand), and “Construction and Operation of Buildings and Structures” (25.2 thousand).
The federal project “Professionalism” was launched in 2022 and is aimed at synchronizing the workforce needs of enterprises with the capabilities of the secondary vocational education system. Since 2025, it has been implemented within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children.”
Today, the 601 clusters of the “Professionalitet” program, located in 86 regions of the country, cover 24 key sectors of the economy. These include mechanical engineering, agriculture, metallurgy, light and fuel-energy industries, chemical, nuclear, pharmaceutical, electrical engineering sectors, information technology, radio electronics, construction, and transport sectors. More than 3,000 employer partners are involved in the educational process.
Recall that in 2025, applicants submitted over 1,088,000 applications to the colleges and technical schools of the “Professionalitet” program.
In July 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law (https://edu.gov.ru/press/10201/vladimir-putin-podpisal-zakon-o-professionalitete-i-provedenii-gia-v-forme-demoekzamena/) on the new form of educational activity – professionalitet, which provides for the participation of employers in the management of educational institutions and the organization of training, including practical training. The document will come into effect on September 1, 2026.
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