What does retraining give? Professional retraining: types, programs, terms

Often a person realizes that he is working in the wrong place. Instead of doing photo shoots, he sits in a stuffy office and calculates wages. In most cases, a person chooses a profession not out of desire, but out of necessity. That is, we work where they pay more. Professional retraining is a chance to change your life and finally get a job that will bring not only income, but also pleasure.

Definition

Professional retraining is the development of new knowledge and skills, the formation of special skills for obtaining additional education. In other words, for those who already have a higher education and want to master a new specialty.

Retraining differs significantly from obtaining a second higher education, since a specific course covers a narrow set of subjects necessary for its study. The quality of knowledge does not suffer from this, but, on the contrary, the student purposefully studies a specific specialty and its specifics. Such training is much more convenient, faster and, most importantly, does not break the bank.

Difference from advanced training

Some people confuse the concepts of “professional retraining”, believing that they are one and the same thing. This is wrong. These two concepts have significant differences.

Professional development should be understood as training for those individuals who have a profession in a certain field and want to improve their professional skills, knowledge and abilities without increasing their educational level.

Professional retraining should be understood as training for those individuals who already have a certain position or profession, but want to get a new one, in their own interests or taking into account the needs of production.

It turns out that professional retraining programs are more extensive and give students more freedom of choice and activity.

Benefits of retraining

The main advantages of professional retraining include:

full compliance with existing Russian legislation;
development of training programs taking into account professional standards and qualified requirements;
the shortest possible training time;
the opportunity to expand knowledge in basic specialization and acquire an additional profession related to the main one;
increasing competitiveness in the vacancy market;
higher level of practical training of specialists;
the opportunity to study further in graduate school or defend a Ph.D. dissertation;
the opportunity to develop personal qualities that are necessary for career growth;
financial accessibility of training;
lack of general subjects not related to the subject being studied;
comfortable uniform for evening wear.

Kinds

There are several types of professional retraining programs:

In order to improve existing professional activities. Such retraining is recommended for specialists within their specific profession. The completed training can improve or supplement existing knowledge and skills for further competent work. The curricula of such a course are developed for specific professions and take into account qualified requirements. In this case, it is necessary to have completed secondary vocational or higher education. The training lasts six months, after which the specialist receives a standard diploma of completed professional retraining.
In order to obtain additional qualifications. Additional professional retraining in this case can serve as a good alternative to a second higher education. Specialists who have completed higher education or education can obtain additional qualifications. If the student is still a student, then results in overlapping disciplines will be taken into account. Training usually lasts about two years, after which students receive state-issued diplomas of additional education.

Peculiarities

Professional training and retraining have their own characteristics. There is no fundamental difference between these concepts. In addition to development itself, there are several more nuances why you need to obtain additional qualifications:

the need for retraining is associated with the process of releasing employees, their promotion up the career ladder, and intra-production turnover due to the search for work with better conditions;
retraining should be associated with the professional and qualified advancement of employees, the main form of which is obtaining a related or second profession. This was developed due to the development of a collective form of labor organization, where an important condition is the implementation of the principle of interchangeability;
Often those categories of employees who have held their positions for a long time and their knowledge and skills are somewhat outdated or irrelevant are retrained.

Education

A good analogue to a second higher education is professional retraining. Study time for given courses is significantly shorter than in higher education. And all because retraining does not involve studying general subjects. Only those subjects that relate to specialization are studied.

The training period for the programs is 250-2000 hours.

For example, professional retraining of a health worker requires at least 576 hours of training.

In most cases, training does not involve attending an educational institution. Increasingly, this is distance learning of material. Therefore, professional retraining is an excellent chance to get another specialty without taking time off from your main job.

Documentation

After certification, course participants receive:

Diploma of professional retraining (training): issued to those students who have studied for more than 1000 hours;
certificate of short-term professional development: issued to students who have attended lectures up to 100 hours;
certificate of advanced training: issued to students who have studied for more than 100 hours.

All documents have an established sample and are a real document confirming qualifications and specialty.

How to choose a profession

Among the huge number of specializations, you can easily get confused and make the wrong choice. To avoid this, you need to follow these tips:

You should choose a second profession only based on your preferences and skills (desire to work with children - educator, teacher, social worker; logical mindset - economist, financier; ability and desire to talk - manager).
If you lack certain skills or creative abilities, you should avoid narrowly focused specialties, and opt for neutral professions - secretary, administrator.
If you lack the desire and confidence in your potential, it is better to focus on those specialties that require minimal labor costs: operator, orderly, salesperson, telephone operator, etc.

These tips will help you quickly and correctly choose the specialty that will bring you not only money, but also pleasure.

Professional retraining is an effective tool for improving your own professional skills, giving you the opportunity to obtain additional qualifications and increase your competitiveness in the job market.

So, what is the difference between a second higher education and professional retraining? Let's look at the main pros and cons of these types of postgraduate education, as well as the key differences between them.

Main differences according to the law

The target audience

Second higher

Typically, this type of education is chosen by young people who belong to the category of citizens who are ready to devote a long period of time to studying. Often, it is obtained in parallel with the main higher education. After completing all courses, the student has all the necessary knowledge in full. Education lasts, as a rule, 4 years in full-time education or 5 years in various types of correspondence courses. Depending on the education you already have initially, you can get a second higher education through special programs lasting from 3 to 6 years.

Professional retraining

Training takes place in a short time. Depending on the direction and content of the program, retraining can take, on average, no less than 500 training hours and no more than 1.5 years. As a rule, training takes place via distance learning. Perfect for adults who are already working and occupy or are about to occupy a leadership position. Thus, having mastered a new specialty through a retraining program, a young manager will be more qualified to supervise the work of his subordinates in the field of his acquired specialty. For example, by learning the basics of accounting, a manager will be able to manage the accounting department more effectively.

Final documents

Second highest. A student who successfully completes all courses and certification events receives a state diploma of higher education that meets all GOST standards. Depending on the level of the completed program, the graduate may be awarded the qualification degree “master”, “bachelor” or “certified specialist”;
Professional retraining. The student, after successfully completing the program, receives a special diploma of professional retraining of the state standard. The specialty received by the student, according to this diploma, is equal to the one that the student has already received previously at a university or technical school. A person who has successfully completed retraining receives the legislative right to engage in a new type of activity and officially becomes a specialist with appropriate qualifications in this field.

Let's immediately decide on the topic of today's article: what is professional retraining? This term refers to the process of acquiring additional competencies or a new profession by those who have education (special secondary or higher education) or by senior students. The professional retraining system was developed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation as an alternative to a second higher education.

Who might need it?

The list of categories of the population for which this concept is relevant is very, very extensive. Think about young mothers who returned from maternity leave and lost their professional skills or lost their jobs for one reason or another. About students completing their studies and unsure of future employment opportunities. About those who unsuccessfully chose a profession and now bite their elbows in a job they don’t like. About employers who are ready to pay for staff training and have reliable and highly qualified personnel at their disposal. About young pensioners with an active character who want not to sit at home, but to work to the best of their ability and be useful. About those whose dreams of career growth are limited by a lack of professional competence. The solution for all these people may be additional training in a related or alternative specialty.

What is professional retraining and what does it give?

It leads to the formation of new competencies and the acquisition of special knowledge. The ultimate goal is to acquire additional qualifications and new professional skills in a specific field. Participants in the labor market who have received such an education acquire new opportunities. That is why many employers take professional retraining quite seriously and consider it as a reasonable alternative to a second higher education.

The diploma obtained at the end of the training course will allow its holder to legally work in a field related to the main activity. Taking into account the constant increase in competition in the labor market, obtaining additional education can be considered one of the most powerful tools that increases everyone’s chances for a successful career.

One of the most important points in this case is the correct choice of a second profession, which always depends on the goals and personal characteristics of the student.

Anyone who has an education (secondary, specialized secondary or higher) can take advantage of this form of training. At the same time, both higher and secondary specialized education may not be completed.

All training programs for professional retraining are developed by the Ministry of Education of Russia. They are available in various forms - full-time, correspondence, evening, distance learning. The availability of a particular direction depends on the policy adopted at a particular educational institution.

For whom is a professional retraining course especially relevant? First of all, we should mention people who work in a specialty other than that indicated in the diploma. There is also a huge army of people who want to get one more additional profession. Of course, senior students on the verge of employment also fall into this category.

What type does it come in?

1. If an employee wants to improve his own professional skills, he is recommended to undergo professional retraining within the framework of his own specialization. At the same time, knowledge will be improved and supplemented, and the specialist’s competence will increase. For this option, there are many professional retraining programs developed for specific specialties and taking into account all qualification requirements.

In this case, it is necessary that higher or secondary vocational education be completed. The duration of training in this case is about 6 months. Having completed his studies with successful certification, the student will receive a diploma of professional retraining of the established form.

2. When a specialist with a secondary vocational or higher education seeks to obtain another qualification, he can choose additional professional retraining, which to a certain extent can be considered an alternative to a second higher education. What makes it different from the previous one? If we are talking about a student who has already passed several disciplines, their results can be re-credited. However, the process of obtaining additional qualifications should not be confused with a second higher education; we will talk about this in more detail below in our article.

In this option, training lasts approximately 2 years and ends with the awarding of an approved diploma.

Special mention should be made of programs related to the business sphere. They are designed for top management specialists, and such programs (MBA) are quite serious and comprehensive training for highly qualified personnel in the economic sector.

After January 1, 2013, the form of the diploma, which is issued based on the results of training, changed. A new standard form is now being used. This happened due to the lack of uniform federal requirements. However, state diplomas received before 2013 have the same validity as the current ones.

Why do people go to get additional education?

We all know people who can be called good specialists and workers who love their profession. But their level of income leaves much to be desired. They are the ones who often resort to “upgrading” their skills through professional retraining. After all, this is a real chance for dramatic changes in the profession!

With the acquisition of new qualifications, the scope of human activity expands significantly. What is professional retraining in a “related” field? A related profession is obtained in a variety of fields through combination. It should be close to the main activity. For example, a turner can additionally retrain as a mechanic, a hairdresser can become a makeup artist, a nurse can learn massage skills, and a driver can become a freight forwarder along the way. A general practitioner, after undergoing additional retraining, can become qualified as a pediatrician and work in this capacity. This expansion of one’s own competencies will help in the event of a crisis to preserve a precious job.

Before deciding which profession to choose additionally, you should analyze the situation on the labor market and remember your own aspirations and preferences related to your current activities. For example, it is quite easy for an accountant to retrain as an auditor, tax consultant, economist or financial manager. A teacher, having undergone professional retraining in education, will easily join the team of a rehabilitation center or be able to work in a private kindergarten, guardianship authorities, or do tutoring. A lawyer is capable of providing consulting services, working as a realtor or HR manager.

Sometimes it happens that sooner or later in the course of work a person understands that initially the profession was chosen imprudently. An employee cannot remain, for example, in teaching or medicine due to a weakened nervous system, or begins to hate accounting because he is tired of numbers and sedentary work. And in this case, professional retraining of specialists can become an effective means of successfully changing your life.

How to choose a second profession

The second profession should be chosen solely in accordance with one’s own interests and natural inclinations. For example, it is best to go to work in the economic sphere for those who have been good at mathematics since childhood and are good with numbers. Sociable people with developed artistic taste and aesthetic thinking are recommended to work, for example, in beauty salons, as a designer, hairdresser or decorative artist. Love for your own business is the strongest motivation and the best incentive for professional growth.

If you can’t decide on the desired field of activity or you lack any specific creative abilities, you should choose one of the so-called neutral professions, for which narrowly focused skills and knowledge are usually not required. An example would be a cashier, secretary, administrator or cosmetologist.

For those who cannot make a choice, you can try to start with professions that do not require long training. For example, try to become a telephone operator, call center operator, orderly or driver. If during the process of studying or working you realize that this is not your thing, the loss of time and money on training will not be so great and you will be able to quickly return to searching for your field.

Stages of changing profession

Now that you have learned what professional retraining is and are planning to put the information into practice, let’s consider several basic steps that must be taken by those who make this important decision.

Step 1. First of all, you should decide on the training center and, from the programs it offers, choose the one that best suits your goals and plans. This step is quite serious. The center you choose should be checked for permitting documents - licenses, accreditation, etc. Remember that the documentation must contain permission for such activities (we are now talking about conducting professional retraining courses).

You should definitely look at the educational credentials of those teaching the courses, as well as whether they have practical experience in a particular subject. After all, the quality of your training directly depends on this. If the center has its own proprietary training courses and teaching aids, this is a good sign - proof of the educational institution’s serious attitude to the educational process. All offered programs should be analyzed and you should choose what is right for you.

Step 2: Now it's time to submit your application. This can be done in different ways. The choice depends on the form in which you intend to study. If the educational company is located in your city and you plan to study full-time, it is most convenient to submit an application by visiting the office in person. In case of undergoing professional retraining remotely, an application can be submitted through the website. Most often, for these purposes, a separate form is provided in which you fill out all the necessary fields and submit by clicking a button.

Step 3. After reviewing the application by the admissions committee or the manager of the company that provides training, you can expect a response to the email specified in it. The answer, as a rule, contains detailed instructions with a list of all the documents required for your application. The list of them most often differs little in different educational institutions.

It almost always consists of a diploma of higher or secondary specialized education along with an insert, copies of the Taxpayer Identification Number and SNILS, a couple of photographs in the “document” format and a photocopy of the passport (first page and page with registration). Documents can be sent either by regular mail or by email, or scans of them can be submitted to the website through a special online form. There is also an option with courier delivery. The most convenient way to send documentation is by scanning it in JPEG, BMP or GIF format and uploading it directly to the website, accompanied by a short explanatory letter.

Let's go directly to the process

Step 4. Now you should pay the cost of the selected program. To do this, you will be sent bank details in the contract or separately. Sometimes an educational organization carefully supplies students with ready-made receipts, in which all they have to do is enter their own data. With such a receipt, you go to any bank and deposit the required amount. Many training centers offer the opportunity to pay for professional retraining courses through a bank card, electronic wallet or terminal.

Step 5. That's it, you can start learning. First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the training schedule, which will be provided to you as part of a set of training materials. At the beginning of the educational process, it is advisable to strictly adhere to the schedule. If you have any problems or force majeure circumstances, immediately contact your supervisor, who will tell you what to do in this case. It is most convenient to start with the easy-to-learn course modules in order to leave most of the time for the most difficult sections.

Where to go for additional education?

There are currently a lot of educational institutions offering such services. Some of them have long and reliably proven themselves in the educational services market. It is these institutions that you should pay attention to first.

For example, we can talk about the Moscow training center “Vocational Academy”; you can study there both full-time and remotely. The estimated cost of professional retraining of 250 hours or more is about 17,000 rubles, and from 500 hours - about 24,000 rubles. Payment of funds is possible in installments. A final test is carried out, then students complete a qualifying thesis. The issued diploma allows you to work in the mastered profession in a full-fledged mode.

The Specialist Training Center at MSTU is over 25 years old. This company boasts of having the conditions for the highest quality training - many (about 80) training classes, a large number (about 250) of highly professional teachers, a huge selection of courses (over 1000). The advantages of studying at this training center are a stable schedule drawn up for the year ahead, professional consultations before the start of training, the possibility of preliminary testing, a combination of different forms of training, the principle of modular construction of the course, which is very convenient for each student, taking into account his individual characteristics. Promotions and discounts are possible when paying.

The Moscow Institute of Open Education (MIOO) has been known since 1938. It was then that it was established under the name of the Moscow City Institute for Teacher Improvement. Currently, MIOO is one of the most modern educational institutions that provide high-quality training services for advanced training and professional retraining in a variety of programs and areas. The easiest way to find out all the details in each specific case is on the website of the selected training center.

Note to teachers

If you are a teacher and you are interested in the issue of professional retraining of education workers, then you should choose among institutions that specialize in this particular area. There are, of course, a lot of them. In this case, we recommend that you use the services provided by the Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution, which implements programs of additional professional education and is known as the Academy of Advanced Training and Professional Retraining of Education Workers.

In 2017, it was 90 years since the founding of this educational institution, in connection with which we can confidently speak about sustainability and reliability, leading positions in the field of additional pedagogical professional education. You will receive all the necessary information by going to the official website of the academy.

What's the difference?

Let's now look at the main differences that exist between professional retraining and a second higher education. There are four of them:

1. In our case we are talking about shortened training periods. After all, another higher education will require you to fully study for three or four years, depending on the chosen form and specialty. Not everyone can afford to spend that much time. It is in this case that you should turn to the option of advanced training and professional retraining.

Its duration cannot be less than 250 academic hours. Its different types require a number of hours of 500 or 1000. Such a sharp contrast in terms of training is explained by the lack of training in voluminous theoretical areas that have no practical application in the case of professional retraining, which significantly reduces study time. You are given only proven practical knowledge.

2. There are also significant differences in the cost of training. If the possibilities of someone who has received a diploma in professional retraining are no different from the opportunities of someone who has acquired a university degree, then the price of the issue here is several times (usually 2-3) lower.

3. Availability of entrance exams. Without them, you will not be accepted into the university. There will definitely be an exam in one form or another (written, oral, testing, personal response). This sometimes becomes an obstacle for applicants who are unsure of their abilities. Refresher courses for entrance exams are not required, which significantly expands the possibilities of choosing a suitable program.

4. The option we offer allows you to master a new profession in the most comfortable conditions with the creation of an individual schedule tailored to your specific needs. You do not depend on the rigid curriculum adopted in universities and regulated educational frameworks.

In conclusion, it should be mentioned that vocational training and retraining should be called an opportunity to increase one’s own working competence with minimal money and time and make a decisive breakthrough in achieving the desired career in the chosen field.

Today, anyone who is looking for a training center to undergo professional retraining there finds it difficult to make a quick and correct choice.

Let's try to highlight several parameters by which you can select centers for additional vocational education (CPE). Let's figure out what types of training centers there are and how they differ from each other.

Types of training centers

Not all users understand the types of educational organizations that provide additional vocational education (CPE) programs.

First parameter: government center or non-government training center. We will talk about their differences below.

Second parameter: organizational form of the training center

Autonomous non-profit organization (ANO)
Limited Liability Company (LLC)
Individual entrepreneur (IP)

Autonomous non-profit organizations (ANO) operate on the basis of Law No. 7-FZ “On Non-Profit Organizations”. Their activities are also prescribed in Article 123.24 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. As stated in these documents, autonomous non-profit organizations can be created to implement activities in the field of education, healthcare, and culture. Such organizations can create both state and non-state training centers. Very often you can find a situation where a federal state university has an educational unit - an Autonomous non-profit organization. Here the university offers retraining and advanced training courses. Non-state legal entities and individuals can also create autonomous non-profit organizations. Despite the name “non-profit”, this form of organization allows for the provision of paid educational services. All profits from the activities of these organizations go to improve and maintain the activities themselves: salaries for teachers, technical staff, for the purchase of technical equipment, and updating the educational and methodological base.

Charity organisations. Charitable organizations are very close to ANO, which are obliged to spend all funds to support the activities for which the organization was created. The second difference between ANO and other forms is that all the property of such organizations cannot belong to any of the founders. That is, all property rights are assigned only to the organization itself, and the founders (state, private individuals) have no rights to this property.

Limited Liability Company : These training centers focus exclusively on the commercial component.

The same applies to individual entrepreneurs

Third parameter types of centers according to implemented educational programs and forms of training

Kinds

special and narrowly specialized, for example, pedagogical, engineering, legal, etc.
wide-profile, where educational programs of different directions and specialties are presented.

Forms

In-person training centers
Centers with full-time and distance learning
Centers with full-time and (or) part-time education using distance learning technologies (DET).

Face-to-face training can be done remotely

According to the law, full-time education is a form of organizing the educational process that involves communication between the teacher and the student. This communication can be personal or indirect through special means: the Internet, Skype. Thus, distance learning is a way to organize face-to-face learning. When choosing an educational center, many students have extensive experience interacting with state and non-state educational institutions (EIs). Citizens who once tried to study at a private center no longer return to state educational institutions. And there are several reasons.

Pros and cons of government training centers

	pros	Minuses
Issued diplomas	Retraining diploma with the name of a famous university	The form of this diploma is the same as that of non-state institutions - the established form.
Features of training programs	Retraining programs comply with professional standards and Federal State Educational Standards	There are few educational programs, there is not much choice, you may not find the right program
Forms of training	Part-time	No distance learning, you need to travel to classes
Service		Insensitive communication from staff, they can be rude
Availability	No	Can't get through by phone, don't answer emails
Price	Differently from 50 thousand rubles to 140 thousand.	The price must be added to the cost of travel, accommodation and food, that is, the price increases by 30-40%
Payment	Non-cash and cash	Sometimes you need to pay extra for additional classes or retaking tests. Although private training centers are also guilty of this

Unlike state institutions, non-state educational institutions have no disadvantages:

The form of the diploma is exactly the same as that of the university - an established model. According to the Law on Education, for diplomas of completion of additional professional education programs, a diploma of the sample established by the educational organization is issued. That is, both the university and the private retraining center independently establish a sample diploma.
Wide selection of programs. You can find the curriculum you need.
There is distance learning. That is, you don’t have to come to classes, you can study from home or from work via the Internet.
Tactful communication, respect of the center staff towards listeners.
Some have a 24-hour helpline, for example, in Moscow there is only one such Academy - this is CHTA.
There is no need to pay for accommodation, travel and food, as you can study remotely.

Let's list 5 main parameters by which you can choose a place of study.

Tip one: Check if the center has an educational license?

If there is no such license, then look for another center. Why? Because diplomas issued by institutions without a license are not legitimate and fake.

You need to check the relevance of the license on the Rosobrnadzor website. Simply enter in the “registration number” field the number that is indicated in the license you are checking.

On the institution’s website, in the curriculum section, there should be curricula approved by the organization, where the number of training hours is clearly stated. If you see that you are offered a program of less than 250 ac. hours, then leave this site immediately.

According to the law, a retraining program cannot have a load of less than 250 hours. Anything less than this figure is already a refresher course. The number of hours must be stated in the diploma itself. And if this figure is less, then the retraining diploma is considered fake.

Let us remind you that according to departmental regulations (orders of ministries) for some professions and specialties, special requirements for the number of hours are established. In some - up to 1000 hours. Keep in mind that completing a program of more than 1000 hours allows you to receive not just a diploma of professional retraining, but also a qualification.

Tip three: Check statutory, organizational and other documents

Please note the year the training center has been in existence. The older he is, the better. That is, there are fewer chances that you will fall for scammers. Check the address of the institution to see if this center is actually located there. You need to find out the address not on the website of this center itself, but through search services by OGRN and TIN. If you do not find confirmation of the location address, this means that they are scammers.

The most important thing is in the agreement with the center itself. The address, OGRN, INN are written there. They must match.

There is no need to pay anything without signing the contract. Then you simply won’t return the money if they are scammers.

Tip four: Check the availability of center staff

Call, write in chat. Talk to employees and ask tough questions. If an employee is not ready to answer, then this is a bad signal.

There are cases that after you have paid according to the contract, communication with the center is lost. Nobody picks up the phone (the phone number is blocked), they don’t answer letters. Check whether the organization has pages on social networks and from what period.

Today there are practically no centers with 24-hour telephone service. The exception is the Modern Scientific and Technological Academy (SNTA) in Moscow, which has a 24-hour Call Center where you can call for free at any time, even on holidays.

Read the contract carefully. There should be no mention of additional fees. There are cases when even in the contract itself they write one amount, but in the “Other conditions” section they write that you need to pay extra to retake the exam. Or you have to pay separately for passing one module. This shouldn't happen. The maximum that is permissible is to split the tuition amount into 2 parts: prepayment and payment upon delivery. But it is best to pay in one lump sum, because some make the price of the retraining course dependent on the exchange rate.

Results of inspection of training centers for professional retraining programs

So, let's check the 7 retraining centers that the search engine gave us.

CENTER	License	Curricula and plans with timing	Statutory documents, agreement	Additional payments	Full availability	Conclusion
Modern Science and Technology Academy (SNTA), Moscow				No surcharges	Around the clock	Meets the stated requirements, distance learning, diplomas are sent by mail and courier
Interregional Center for Continuing Education, Moscow					absent
Department of Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU)					absent
Interregional Academy of Construction and Industrial Complex (MASPK)				No surcharges	absent	There is no 24/7 access to the center.
Vocational retraining department of RANEPA					absent	Face-to-face training in groups, which is very inconvenient. No 24/7 access.
Department of the Russian Economic University named after. G.V. Plekhanov					absent	Face-to-face training in groups, which is very inconvenient. No 24/7 access.
Institute of Vocational Education (IPE)		No	The registration address is different from the location address		absent	Face-to-face training in groups, which is very inconvenient. No 24/7 access. No approved training programs

Professional retraining raises many doubts: how many hours should the course last, in which case is it better to choose a second higher education, who is such training suitable for? In this article we answer the most common questions about this type of additional education.

Professional retraining makes it possible to quickly master a new specialty, usually related to an existing one. Also, after completing the training, a complete change of activity is possible.

Difference from second higher education

Professional retraining and second higher education are close, as they provide new knowledge, skills, and as a result, students receive a new specialty.

The program of professional retraining courses consists only of specialized subjects, that is, you will not have to take general education subjects, for example, philosophy. The same is true for a second higher education, but only if you studied the same general education subjects as part of your first higher education, if they can be transferred.

Other differences:

It is possible to obtain a second higher education only after completing a bachelor's, master's, residency, or postgraduate studies. At the same time, the retraining program can be mastered by a person without higher education, having only secondary vocational education.
When applying for a second higher education, you must pass entrance exams; you can enroll in professional retraining courses without them.
Training in professional retraining courses takes from two months to one and a half years, obtaining a second higher education takes three and a half years.
As a rule, professional retraining courses are cheaper than a second higher education.
In a number of specialties, you will not be able to undergo retraining without related education. For example, only students with secondary specialized or higher medical education can take professional retraining courses in medical specialties.

To understand whether professional retraining courses in a particular specialty are suitable for you, the educational requirements specified in.

Who can take the training

Professional retraining courses can be taken:

with completed higher education: after university, institute, academy;
with completed secondary vocational education: after technical school or college;
while studying at a higher or secondary vocational educational institution.

When choosing a program, you must carefully study the requirements for the qualifications of a specialist; for example, retraining in the specialty “Medical Psychologist” can only be completed with a higher education in psychology.

There are also nuances in obtaining a pedagogical education. According to the unified qualification directory, a person applying for the position of teacher must have “a higher or secondary vocational education in the field of training “Education and Pedagogy” or in the field corresponding to the subject being taught ... or higher vocational education or secondary vocational education and additional professional education in the field of activity in an educational institution."

That is, a person who studied linguistics at a higher educational institution can apply for the position of teacher with the condition of undergoing professional retraining in the profile of teaching activity.

Types of retraining

There are professional retraining courses on the market with different durations of study, how do they differ from each other? There are two types of professional retraining:

Professional retraining to perform a new type of activity, which allows you to change your profile within the framework of a previously acquired specialty. The training lasts more than 250 academic hours. The diploma indicates the specialty without assigning a qualification.
Professional training to obtain a new qualification. As a rule, training lasts more than 1000 academic hours, after which the student is awarded a new qualification. It is practically an analogue of a second higher professional education. The diploma indicates the assigned qualification.

Duration of training

Training in professional retraining courses cannot be less than 250 academic hours.

What document is issued?

After completing the training and successfully passing the certification, a diploma of professional retraining in the form established by the organization is issued.

Thus, the following options for records in documents may exist:

with the name of the qualification;
with the name of the qualification and an indication of the new type of professional activity;
indicating a new type of professional activity (within the framework of previously existing qualifications).

If the student is in the process of obtaining higher or secondary vocational education, then he will be able to receive a diploma only after completing basic training and presenting supporting documents.

Which organizations can provide training?

Training under professional retraining programs can only be provided by organizations with a state license to provide educational services. You can check the status of the license on the Rosobrnadzor website.

What you need to know about professional retraining

Studying under a professional retraining program gives you the right to engage in a new area of activity.
When choosing between a retraining program and a second higher education, be guided by the requirements for the chosen specialty. They can be found in the Unified Qualification Directory and in professional standards.
Be sure to check the license of the educational institution before purchasing a professional retraining course. This can be done on the Rosobrnadzor website.

Be careful when choosing your education!