Bold Young Minds: SILA Union Enters Moscow's Vocational Education System
Moscow vocational students are learning to use the same tools as major companies. A partnership between SILA Union and the Moscow Center for Vocational Education Development is putting hands-on experience at the center of their training.
Vocational education can no longer be seen simply as a path to a profession. It has become a pillar of the country's broader technology system, particularly as Russia works to build its own technology base and an independent architecture for businesses. Universities train engineers, designers and researchers, while vocational schools prepare the people who work in production, implement new technologies and help leading industries maintain their momentum.
But a student learning outdated foreign software or practicing on simulators far removed from real-world work is unlikely to become a highly skilled professional. That is why the latest Russian tools need to become part of the curriculum, with students beginning to use them while they are still in vocational school. A new strategic partnership announced in Veliky Novgorod at the finals of the Chempionat vysokikh tekhnologiy (High Technology Championship), or ChVT-2026, is intended to address exactly that challenge.
Students Learn With Russian Software
The agreement was signed by SILA Union and the Moscow Center for Vocational Education Development, a state autonomous institution for continuing professional education. The center coordinates Moscow's vocational education system, meaning the partnership could extend successful practices and approaches to dozens of schools and thousands of students. Graduates trained on Russian software could not only work with existing systems but also develop and improve them and create new products.
The partnership is intended to make Russian software a permanent part of the curriculum across Moscow's vocational education system. Enterprise architecture and business process management tools are expected to be incorporated into hands-on training. Moscow vocational students are set to work with the same systems that major Russian companies use to design and manage their business processes.
Technology Works When People Know How to Use It
Collaboration between higher education institutions and IT companies has been developing gradually. In 2021, as part of the Astra College project, Astra Linux reached an agreement with IThub International College to integrate its operating system into the curriculum. The initiative covered both computer labs and instructor training. That same year, Astra Linux began working with MISIS University to prepare students to use the Russian operating system, equipping university classrooms with Russian software for the program.
In 2022, the focus shifted to educators. Moscow Region State University and Astra Group launched a professional development program for computer science teachers that trained them to use Astra Linux in the classroom. More than 200 educators from regions across Russia took part.
“Technology only works when people know how to use it, so an Astra Linux license always comes with training,” said Roman Borisov, director of education sales development at Astra Group.
By 2023, vocational instructors from 20 Russian regions were receiving training as well. They were prepared to work with Alt, an operating system developed by Basalt SPO. After completing the course, the educators received certificates and began using the Russian OS to train students in IT fields. That same year, Astra Group and MIREA – Russian Technological University continued their joint education projects. Students in the Full-Stack Development program worked with Russian software products, including Astra Linux, while 94 people earned user certificates for Astra Linux Special Edition 1.7.
In 2024 and 2025, Russian IT companies stepped up their partnerships with educational institutions. New courses, labs and programs emerged to prepare professionals to work with specific technologies. The SILA Union and Moscow Center for Vocational Education Development project continues that trend. Developers are no longer simply supplying licenses. They are building an ecosystem around their products, including training, instructional materials, certification and workforce development.
Leadership for Decades to Come
SILA Union's introduction into Moscow vocational schools shows that Russia's software market is no longer simply looking for replacements for foreign products. It is beginning to build an educational ecosystem around Russian technologies.
For Russia's IT market, initiatives like this offer another way to expand the use of domestic software through education. Over time, more joint projects between Russian developers and vocational schools are expected to emerge, particularly in enterprise systems, cybersecurity, data and business automation. Whether such initiatives can expand beyond Russia, however, is likely to depend on how successfully Russian companies can adapt their products to international requirements.
Education, technology and industry are becoming increasingly intertwined. Elena Silkina, founder of SILA Union, offers an ambitious vision of the future: “By combining mature enterprise expertise with the boldness of young minds, we are shaping a generation of visionaries capable of securing Russia's leadership for decades to come.”
