Penza, 15 February 2013. PenzaNews. Roadmap for passing over to general secondary vocational education was prepared in Penza. This was announced by the deputy Minister of Education of the Penza region Ruslan Gulyaev during a meeting with journalists at the press center of news agency PenzaNews on Friday, February 15. Roadmap — an implementation plan — was compiled in the framework of the law “On Education in the Russian Federation” and is aimed at ensuring that vocational education in Russia has become public and free of charge,” Ruslan Gulyaev said.

© PenzaNewsBuy the photo

He explained that the level of primary vocational education (PVE) is the first level of secondary vocational education (SVE), and the status of basic educational programs belongs to short programs of vocational education, which can also be financed from the budget.

“We, therefore, begin to train young professionals of a new level, possessing a wider and deeper range of knowledge. In addition, with the help of these short programs we broaden opportunities to prepare and re-educate adults in actual professions,” the deputy minister pointed out.

He said that the training of specialists of blue-collar jobs, which now belongs to the system of PVE, will not be eliminated.

“In fact, the secondary vocational education sort of “absorbs” the primary one. In this case, a graduate from a college or technical school will be quite able to work in his profession, as well as seek for a skilled job, since he has got this right in accordance with his diploma,” Ruslan Gulyaev explained.

He stressed that from 1 September 2013 the primary education will become the secondary vocational education, and everyone who entered PVE will receive diplomas of SVE from 2014.

“No exams will have to be taken to be enrolled in technical schools and colleges of the Penza region. If there are several claims for a budget place, the one with the higher average certificate grade will be preferred. And I would like to point out that we have more than enough budget places in the SVE system to teach everyone willing,” he added.

Ruslan Gulyaev also said that there is an ongoing discussion on the introduction of deferment of military service for students enrolled in the secondary vocational educational institutions.

“On February 13, the State Duma introduced a bill, according to which two standards will be removed — deferment of military service for people under 20 years old and the ability of the military enlistment offices calling up the final year student. There is a high probability that the document will be accepted,” he said.

According to the deputy Minister of Education of the Penza region, the adoption of such amendments will make the system of vocational education more attractive.