PTU: What exactly is it?

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Dear colleagues,

Could someone explain please what exactly the Russians mean by 
"Профессионально-техническое училище"?

It's not your fault or your problem, but I have a client who wants to 
negotiate the term I use on his transcript so it sounds better, and I 
want to translate it accurately. So it would be helpful to know, in 
general terms:

• admission requirements (qualifying exam? transcript? age? I've seen 
descriptions on the web that say all you need is to finish 9th grade)

• term of study (two years? I've seen descriptions that say as little as 
six months to as much as two years)

• resulting degree or qualification

Do I understand correctly that this is "terminal" in the sense that the 
student is not expected to go on to higher education? (excluding, of 
course, FPK)?

Do I understand correctly that this is *not* post-secondary education -- 
that the student does not first complete high school and then enter a 
PTU, but attends a PTU *instead of* conventional high school?  The 
client wants it to come across as equivalent to community college, 
giving an associate's degree, and my impression is that it is less than 
that, more like a trade school.

And if you have candidate terms that would be icing on the cake.

Thanks much.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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