Secondary vocational education

Vocational secondary education is regulated by Article 68 of the Federal Law of December 29, 2012, No. 273-FZ "On Education in the Russian Federation"¹ (hereinafter referred to as the Education Law), according to which vocational secondary education is aimed at addressing tasks of intellectual, cultural and professional development of a person and has the objective of preparing qualified workers or employees and middle-level specialists in all main directions of socially useful activities in accordance with the needs of society and the state, as well as meeting the individual's need for deepening and expanding education (Part 1 of Article 68 of the Education Law).

Persons who have education not lower than basic general or senior secondary education are eligible to pursue educational programs of vocational secondary education, unless otherwise provided by this Federal Law (Part 2 of Article 68 of the Education Law).

The acquisition of secondary vocational education on the basis of basic general education is carried out simultaneously with the acquisition of secondary general education within the framework of the corresponding secondary vocational education program. In this case, the secondary vocational education program implemented on the basis of basic general education is developed in accordance with the requirements of the relevant federal state educational standards for secondary general and secondary vocational education and provisions of the federal basic general education program for secondary general education, as well as taking into account the profession or specialty of secondary vocational education (part 3 of article 68 of the Education Law). The federal state educational standard for secondary general education has been approved by the order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia dated May 17, 2012 No. 413².

Admission to educational programs of secondary vocational education at the expense of federal budget appropriations, budgets of subjects of the Russian Federation and local budgets is generally accessible, unless otherwise provided for in this part. Admission to educational programs of secondary vocational education for professions and specialties requiring applicants to have certain creative abilities, physical and (or) psychological qualities is carried out on the basis of results of entrance examinations in accordance with the procedure established under paragraph 8 of article 55 of this Federal law. In the event that the number of applicants exceeds the number of places funded from the federal budget, budgets of subjects of the Russian Federation, and local budgets, the educational organization, in accordance with the admission procedure established under paragraph 8 of Article 55 of this Federal Law, takes into account the results of mastering the basic general or secondary general education programs by applicants, as indicated in the documents on education and (or) documents on education and qualification presented by the applicants, the results of entrance examinations (if applicable), the results of individual achievements, information about which the applicant is entitled to present upon admission, as well as the presence of a contract for targeted training with organizations listed in paragraph 1 of Article 71.1 of this Federal Law, unless otherwise provided in this article. Persons referred to in paragraphs 1 - 13 of part 7 of article 71 of this Federal law are granted the right of priority admission to an educational organization for training under secondary vocational education programs, provided that they successfully pass entrance examinations (if such examinations are conducted) and on other equal terms. Persons referred to in part 5.1 of article 71 of this Federal law are granted the right to be admitted to an educational organization for training under secondary vocational education programs with priority, regardless of the results of mastering the basic general or secondary general education program indicated in the submitted documents on education and (or) documents on education and qualification, as well as the presence of a contract for targeted training with organizations referred to in part 1 of article 71.1 of this Federal law (part 4 of article 68 of the Education Law).

To individual achievements of applicants that educational organizations take into account in the case provided for by the third clause of paragraph 4 of this article, the following are included: conscript military service, contract military service, mobilization military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, participation in volunteer formations in accordance with a contract on voluntary assistance in performing tasks assigned to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or the National Guard of the Russian Federation during the special military operation on the territories of Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia region, and the Kherson region, as well as other individual achievements defined by the procedure for admission provided for in paragraph 8 of article 55 of this Federal law (paragraph 4.1 of article 68 of the Education Law).

Obtaining secondary vocational education through programs for training mid-level specialists for the first time by individuals who have a diploma of secondary vocational education with the assignment of the qualification of a qualified worker or employee is not considered obtaining secondary vocational education again (paragraph 5 of Article 68 of the Education Law).

Students studying under secondary vocational education programs who do not have general secondary education are entitled to take the state final examination, which concludes the mastery of general secondary education programs and upon successful completion of which they are issued a certificate of general secondary education. The aforementioned students undergo the state final examination free of charge (paragraph 6 of Article 68 of the Education Law).