PTU: What exactly is it?

[Elena Gapova]

A PTU is an educational zavedenie which provides its students with a blue-collar profession. This is its main function and goal. The profession may be that of a fitter, a wielder, a builder, a seamstress, a cook or someone working in the electronics industry etc. 

There used to be PTUs which accepted students after the 8th grade (10 years were needed for a high-school diploma; and srednee obrazovanie for everyone, i.e. a high-school diploma, was a law in the USSR), and in this case they received (after 2 or 3 years of schooling) a high-school diploma alongside with a professional certificate. With this diploma, one was perfectly illegible to apply to a university (but most never did, because if one chooses - for whatever reason - a bluecollar profession, this is very much about social stratification already); some applied to a "technicum", but most went to work on their peofession.

Some PTUs accepted students with a high-school diploma, in which case they just provided "professional education". 

Many PTUs  provided their students with dormitories, as these were likely to be the children from the countryside moving to a city by getting a bluecollar profession and, later, a sure job.

"Sovetskaya intelligentsia" despised PTUs immensely.   

This is the way it used to be. I am not aware on any new trends or changes.
e.g.

-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU]On Behalf Of Paul B. Gallagher
Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 11:11 AM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] PTU: What exactly is it?


Dear colleagues,

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

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