Vocational technical school
Encyclopedia
Vocational Technical School – "Professionalno-tehnicheskoye uchilishche" (acronym: PTU; ПТУ, пэ-тэ-у́) are vocational education
facilities established in the former Soviet Union
to train qualified industrial workers and servicemen. Such schools are widespread in all post-Soviet countries (usually in every city).
PTUs formed a government-funded USSR-wide system for school graduates who didn't intend to receive a university
degree (see "Secondary education
"). Instead, they were both educated generally and trained for non-academic occupations. There were PTUs specializing in almost all such professions, but the most common were construction and machinery positions. Specializations also included secretaries (girls only), cooks, waiters and even mosaic
artists (needed drawing talents to apply). The usual entering age for students was 15 - after 8 years of ordinary school, with students coming from peasant backgrounds, the lower working class, orphanages and the like. Two or three years of learning were typical, though some students would enter after 10 years of ordinary school and learn during 1 year.
PTUs required no entering examination and provided students with free hostel
s and meals. Parents were also attracted by the 24-hour presence of "upbringers" - mentors tasked with preventing students from engaging in deviant behavior. Further employment was also guaranteed, as well as the possibility of continuing education at university level. PTUs played an important role in urbanizing rural
communities and forming the Soviet working class
(see Urbanization
).
:"шко́ла фабри́чно-заводско́го учени́чества" – "Shkola fabrichno-zavodskogo uchenichestva", acronym: FZU; ФЗУ, фэ-зэ-у́), which were partly inherited from the vocational school system of the Russian Empire
. In 1940, they were reorganized to "vocational schools" (Russian
:"реме́сленное учи́лище" – "Remeslennoye uchilishche"), and in 1959 to PTUs.
During the transformation to a market economy, PTUs suffered a huge blow as their graduates lost socialist employment guarantees. Many PTUs were closed or merged and the number of students declined dramatically. Some PTUs were renamed and reformed into "lyceum
s" in an attempt to gain higher status and establish tuition fees.
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
facilities established in the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to train qualified industrial workers and servicemen. Such schools are widespread in all post-Soviet countries (usually in every city).
PTUs formed a government-funded USSR-wide system for school graduates who didn't intend to receive a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
degree (see "Secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
"). Instead, they were both educated generally and trained for non-academic occupations. There were PTUs specializing in almost all such professions, but the most common were construction and machinery positions. Specializations also included secretaries (girls only), cooks, waiters and even mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
artists (needed drawing talents to apply). The usual entering age for students was 15 - after 8 years of ordinary school, with students coming from peasant backgrounds, the lower working class, orphanages and the like. Two or three years of learning were typical, though some students would enter after 10 years of ordinary school and learn during 1 year.
PTUs required no entering examination and provided students with free hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
s and meals. Parents were also attracted by the 24-hour presence of "upbringers" - mentors tasked with preventing students from engaging in deviant behavior. Further employment was also guaranteed, as well as the possibility of continuing education at university level. PTUs played an important role in urbanizing rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
communities and forming the Soviet working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
(see Urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
).
History
In 1920-30ties the forerunners of PTU's included "schools of factory and plant apprenticeship"(RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
:"шко́ла фабри́чно-заводско́го учени́чества" – "Shkola fabrichno-zavodskogo uchenichestva", acronym: FZU; ФЗУ, фэ-зэ-у́), which were partly inherited from the vocational school system of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. In 1940, they were reorganized to "vocational schools" (Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
:"реме́сленное учи́лище" – "Remeslennoye uchilishche"), and in 1959 to PTUs.
During the transformation to a market economy, PTUs suffered a huge blow as their graduates lost socialist employment guarantees. Many PTUs were closed or merged and the number of students declined dramatically. Some PTUs were renamed and reformed into "lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
s" in an attempt to gain higher status and establish tuition fees.
See also
- TechnicumTechnicumTechnicum was a Soviet institute of vocational education. A mass-education facility of "special middle education" category 1 step higher than PTU, but aimed to train low-level industrial managers or specializing in occupations that require skills more advanced than purely manual...
- Institute of technologyInstitute of technologyInstitute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...