Three educational clusters in mechanical engineering have been created in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

      October 3, 2025, 19:19 Society

      Three educational and production clusters in the "Mechanical Engineering" sector began operating in 2025 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the regional government reported.

      The clusters were created on the basis of Dzerzhinsk Technical College, the Pavlovsk Auto-Mechanical Technical School named after I.I. Lepse, and Nizhny Novgorod Industrial College within the federal "Professionalitet" project of the national "Youth and Children" project. Participation in the federal project made it possible to obtain funds for major repairs of premises, renewal of training and production equipment, and modernization of educational programs.

      "The federal 'Professionalitet' program gives colleges and technical schools a great opportunity to become modern, advanced educational institutions. Special attention is paid to interaction with employers. The goal of every student is to master a profession that is in demand in the labor market and to get a well-paid job. In 'Professionalitet' this has become possible: educational programs are developed jointly with employers, which means that a graduate, when starting work, will possess all the necessary skills and abilities for a seamless transition from training to employment," said Mikhail Puchkov, Minister of Education and Science of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      Within the federal program, in 2025 Dzerzhinsk Technical College opened 11 new educational spaces equipped with new equipment and technological software products. Major repairs were carried out in the training and production workshops.

      As a result, 350 students sat at the desks there in September; they will receive education under the "Professionalitet" program in nine specialties.

      "We now have new opportunities to interact with enterprises — this includes retraining and certification of employees in reduced timeframes at the college, as well as organizing internships for teachers in the workshops of partner enterprises, where they learn modern production technologies," said Natalia Silvestruk, director of Dzerzhinsk Technical College.

      Today 425 students study at Nizhny Novgorod Industrial College under six updated "Professionalitet" educational programs.

      "Thanks to the federal program, we radically renewed our laboratory and production base. The latest equipment arrived, identical to that used at our partner enterprises. That means students now practice skills on modern machines. Effectively, we were able to transfer a fragment of real production into the training workshops. We are no longer just a college in the classical sense. Now we are the core of an industry cluster, a single 'college–enterprise' ecosystem. This changes absolutely everything: from the speed of decision-making to the atmosphere. Young people see a direct link between what they study and their future careers. They gain a different level of motivation," said Alexander Anikiets, director of Nizhny Novgorod Industrial College.

      On the premises of the Pavlovsk Auto-Mechanical Technical School named after I.I. Lepse, students will be trained in 11 specialties within the federal "Professionalitet" program. There are 350 students studying under the new educational programs, and the college plans to enroll 1,050 students in "Professionalitet" programs by 2027.

      "Together with the bus factory we discussed which competencies are needed right now and which will be needed in the next five years. Based on their requirements, we updated curricula, introduced modules, and strengthened practical training. Thus a real dialogue emerged: education stopped preparing 'specialists in general,' we prepare specialists for specific enterprises and industries," said Albina Ivanova, director of the Pavlovsk Auto-Mechanical Technical School named after I.I. Lepse.

      All three educational institutions renovated workshops and classrooms for theoretical lessons.

      In total, about 600 million rubles were allocated for major repairs and modern equipment for these secondary vocational education institutions from federal and regional budgets, as well as investments from key enterprises of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      To date, 16 clusters have been created in the Nizhny Novgorod Region under the "Professionalitet" project, six of them in 2025. The development of secondary vocational education is one of the priorities of the national "Youth and Children" project.

      The new national project has been implemented by order of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, since 2025. It includes nine federal projects and programs: "Russia — a Land of Opportunities," "We Are Together," "Russia in the World," "All the Best for Children," "Leading Schools," "Teachers and Mentors," "Creation of a Network of Modern Campuses," "Universities for a Generation of Leaders," and "Professionalitet."

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