Published on: 2026-09-15
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the National Center “Russia,” as part of the all-Russian project “Where the Motherland Begins,” a speech was held by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko on the topic “Professionals of the Future.” It became part of the “Motherland is People” meeting series and gathered over 600 participants from 47 regions of Russia and 8 foreign countries.
The Deputy Prime Minister congratulated the participants of the meeting on the beginning of the new academic year and the International Youth Festival. He noted that within the exhibition space in Yekaterinburg, a pavilion was created where all regions and departments showcased Russia’s opportunities for self-realization of young people from around the world.
“Our meeting takes place in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, declared by President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. The aspiration for unity was formed in us in response to great challenges. Through the efforts of Soviet engineers under the leadership of the chief designer of the space era – Sergei Pavlovich Korolev – the first artificial Earth satellite in history – Sputnik-1 – was launched. It not only opened the era of space exploration and brought our country to the forefront of the space race, but also created a legacy, a foundation that obliges us to provide a worthy response to current challenges. Here, we are guided by the principles of mutual assistance, careful preservation, and transmission of our traditions and values to future generations. We have formed 17 spiritual and moral values. Over the 12 centuries of our state’s existence, they have been passed down through proverbs, epics, religious texts, and legends,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Speaking about Russian education, the Deputy Prime Minister noted its sovereignty and popularity among foreign students. Thus, by the directive of Russian President Vladimir Putin, no fewer than 500 thousand foreign students will study in Russia by 2030. Today, nearly 18 million schoolchildren, 9 million college and university students study in the country. This year, 1.5 million first-graders started school, and about 3 million young people enrolled in universities and colleges. Their mentors are more than 1.4 million teachers, instructors, and professors.
He added that engineers contribute to the creation of sovereign industry and serve as a bridge between fundamental science and manufacturing, turning discoveries into real products and services.
Dmitry Chernyshenko reminded that from 2025, by order of the President of Russia, the national project “Youth and Children” is being implemented, covering more than 52 million people. The project’s measures are aimed at supporting schoolchildren, students, and teachers and preparing in-demand specialists.
To prepare the engineering elite, projects have been launched to create advanced engineering schools based at universities and student design bureaus, where young people solve real scientific, technical, and engineering problems with the subsequent implementation of results into production and technological processes. In addition, thanks to the federal project “Professionalism” based on an industry principle, clusters have been created at colleges in cooperation with partner enterprises.
In addition to the educational track, a championship movement is developing within “Professionalitet” – it includes three separate championships for all categories of citizens. Dmitry Chernyshenko urged the participants of the meeting to take part in next year’s competitions, as well as in the “Student Startup” contest, where the winners receive grants of 1 million rubles to implement their projects. It is carried out within the framework of the “University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform” project.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of reviving the institution of invention and scientific-technical creativity – the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators (VOIR). During Soviet times, it had more than 14.5 million inventors and innovators; currently, efforts are underway to establish regional branches of VOIR across Russia.
Dmitry Chernyshenko reminded the participants of the meeting about the implementation of the largest project to create educational infrastructure in the entire history of the country. Thus, by the order of the President, 40 world-class campuses should be created by 2036. This creates a completely new environment focused on the needs of the entities.
In conclusion, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the key role of teachers and educators in training professionals and reported on the trend of overcoming the negative perception of the profession – each year, more and more young people dream of becoming teachers.
“In July, our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin supported the initiative to define a special status for teachers in Russia. Now, at the legislative level, protection, recognition of experience, and social guarantees for educational workers are enshrined. We continue to improve the remuneration system for teachers and instructors. In villages, a large-scale project called ‘Zemsky Teacher’ is being implemented, aimed at supporting teachers working in the smallest and often most remote corners of the country,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
The meeting was also attended by Alexander Neroda, a physics teacher under the “Zemsky Teacher” program since 2023 from the city of Udomlya, Tver Region; Anna Minaeva, a third-year student at the Verkhnedneprovsk Technological College majoring in “Welding Work”; Artem Kuteynikov, a second-year master’s student at the Research Institute of Space Systems at Bauman MSTU specializing in “Application of AI in Space Flight Management”; Evgeny Shilov, co-founder of LLC “Labadvance”; and Evgeny Tonkov, a hereditary educator and director of the Law Institute at Belgorod National Research University (NRU “BelGU”).
The winner of the regional Abilympics-2026 championship in Saint Petersburg in the skill category “Industrial Robotics,” Anatoly Kholshchevnikov, said that last year he graduated from the College of Shipbuilding, Information and Applied Technologies and started working as an electronics installation technician. Participating in the Abilympics championship became an opportunity for him to develop professional skills and test himself under competitive conditions.
In addition, during the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Dmitry Afanasyev, Chairman of VOIR, and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education Vladimir Kononov awarded the winners of the 2026 student design bureau competition selection. The winners were 15 teams from Russian universities.
Let us recall, “Motherland is the people” is part of the authorial project of the National Center “Russia” titled “Where the Motherland Begins.” The series of events consists of several stages involving representatives of the Russian Government, heads of federal executive authorities, heads of subjects, and opinion leaders.
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