In Russia, the number of schoolchildren enrolled in programming courses has tripled over the year

2023: In Russia, the number of schoolchildren enrolled in programming courses has tripled over the year

In 2023, demand for IT specialists recovered and continues to grow. Employees are most in demand in such areas as development and programming, implementation and support, ON engineering, information security and analytics. Such data Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation became known in June 2024.

According to estimates, in Russia the number of schoolchildren enrolled in programming courses at the end of 2022 was approximately 130 thousand people. By the end of 2023, this value rose to almost 400 thousand, that is, it increased approximately threefold. In particular, 395 thousand people were enrolled in the program "Code of the Future" (free programming courses for schoolchildren and students of colleges or technical schools). At the same time, about 8 thousand sites are open for face-to-face classes within the framework of the "Code of the Future" throughout Russia. Over 72 million times, schoolchildren turned to the content "Lesson Numbers" - this is an all-Russian educational project that combines lectures and educational materials from leading technology companies.

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According to experts, by mid-June 2024, the demand for IT specialists remains stable, but the dynamics of the resume is significantly ahead of the dynamics of vacancies. At the same time, a significant deficit remains in relation to highly qualified personnel, which are not yet so many on the market.

In Russia, by mid-2024, various initiatives are being implemented aimed at increasing the number of IT personnel. This is, in particular, an increase in the control figures for admission to universities in IT specialties, school and additional education programs ("Code of the Future," "Digital Departments," "Digital Professions," etc.), as well as joint projects of leading universities and the largest Russian IT companies.^[1]

2022

Mishustin approved the launch of free programming courses for schoolchildren. 6.8 billion rubles allocated for the program

In early July 2022, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree approving the rules for providing subsidies for the launch of free programming courses for schoolchildren. The total amount of funds provided for in the three-year federal budget for the organization of training is 6.8 billion rubles.

According to the press service of the Cabinet, schoolchildren of grades 8-11 who are interested in computer science will be able to take additional two-year courses in modern programming languages ​ ​ for free. Students will be engaged in a program consisting of four modules of 36 academic hours. Teaching programming will be an addition to the basic school curriculum in mathematics and computer science. The duration of training will be two years. This will allow the children to master the first IT profession at school, which in turn should be an incentive for them to connect their further professional activities with the IT sphere.

Mishustin approved the launch of free programming courses for schoolchildren

There are two training formats: online using remote technologies and offline - on the basis of regional educational sites. They will be taken by the project operator - University 2035.

It is assumed that at the first stage at least 100 thousand children will undergo free programming courses. In subsequent years, their number will grow to 240 thousand people.

According to the educational platform Geekbrains, about 63% of school graduates choose development and programming courses for additional education, 16% - design courses, and 7% - marketing. Among those who want to learn programming, 8% are interested in the Python language, 6% in web development, 4% in Java, C++ and game development. More than 5,000 people took part in the survey, the results of which were released at the end of May 2022.^[2]

Launch of a state program for the study of modern programming languages ​ ​ for 100 thousand schoolchildren

On April 5, 2022, the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the RFMaksut Shadayev announced the launch of a state program to study modern programming languages ​ ​ for 100 thousand schoolchildren. At the initial stage, testing is provided. The agency will take on the cost of training and teaching modern programming languages.

According to Maksut Shadayev, within the framework of the program, high school students will be able to deeply study modern programming languages ​ ​ for two years. It is assumed that schoolchildren will be able to either go to class in their city twice a week for 2-3 hours, taking classes each time, or if there is no possibility of offline classes in their city, then it will be possible to study with teachers via the Internet, he explained at an expanded meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.

Launch of a state program for the study of modern programming languages ​ ​ for 100 thousand schoolchildren

Two-year courses will give schoolchildren the opportunity to "get acquainted with the profession of a programmer, get basic or advanced skills in creating programs and develop their own digital product." Children who have graduated will receive an electronic certificate.

We have discussed many times that, unfortunately, teaching computer science provides basic skills, but, of course, it is impossible to dive deep into the basics of programming in most cases within the school curriculum. Here, in fact, we give the opportunity to those who are ready to go further, who have a desire, to study and master these programming languages ​ ​ for free - said Shadayev.

He also added that the demand for such educational programming training programs is large. Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Development predicted that by 2024, at least 240 thousand students will be able to study under the new program.^[3]

2021: Announcement of a project to teach schoolchildren programming languages

On October 5, 2021, the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia announced the launch of a pilot project to teach schoolchildren programming languages ​ ​ in free courses. In 2021, training will be available to students from the Belgorod, Novgorod, Penza regions, the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

More than 2,000 schoolchildren from five pilot regions will become participants in an educational project to study programming languages. The guys will receive digital competencies that will be useful to them for further career guidance. The project will last until June 2022, while the content and duration of the programs will be adjusted based on the results of the course, based on the feedback of the schoolchildren themselves, their parents and teachers. The experience and results of the pilot project will be taken into account in the All-Russian project, which starts in 2022, "said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

The training is included in the list of events of the federal project "Personnel for the Digital Economy" of the national program "Digital Economy."

The courses will be an addition to the basic school curriculum in mathematics and computer science. The training is aimed at schoolchildren over 14 years old who will be able to remotely learn programming languages: JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL, Python, Java, Bash/Shell/PowerShell, C#, PHP, C++, TypeScript and others. The minimum course duration will be 144 academic hours.

It is noteworthy that we take the first steps on the project on Teacher's Day, when we launch the selection of providers and educational programs. From October 5, Russian educational organizations that have experience in online programming training for young people from 14 years old will have the opportunity to take part in the project. When selecting courses, we take into account the saturation of the school curriculum and the ability to build learning so that students are not overloaded and remain motivated throughout their studies. Teachers play an important role in the formation of personality and the formation of professional qualities of their students. We count on the support of teachers and parents of schoolchildren who will help students with talents in the exact sciences to receive additional education within the framework of secondary school, "said Tatyana Trubnikova, director of the department for coordinating programs and projects Ministry of Digital Development Russia.

The training will be carried out by educational organizations selected by the project operator - University 2035.

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