Children and youth policy
GRI 3-3
Russian Railways for schoolchildren
To attract motivated youth, Russian Railways offers comprehensive career guidance to school and university students. This effort helps effectively identify and nurture talents in children and young people and aligns with Presidential Decree No. 309 On the National Development Goals of the Russian Federation Through 2030 and Beyond to 2036 dated 7 May 2024.
In 2018, the long-standing youth engagement activities of Russian Railways were integrated into a career guidance and onboarding system under the Land of Railway brand. This system enables the creation of customised educational pathways tailored to students’ skills and interests.
Russian Railways’ educational system encompasses an entire range of educational institutions — from pre-school to higher education facilities. The Company is the founder of 98 educational institutions.
Russian Railways’ educational infrastructure:
- 77 kindergartens, 12,700 pupils;
- 21 RZD schools, 7,800 students;
- 26 children’s railways, 18,000 students aged 11 to 17;
- 6 Kvantorium science parks for children, 1,500 students;
- 109 RZD classes within corporate and municipal schools, 4,000 students;
- 14 cadet classes, 272 students.
Children’s railways
Through the Children’s Railways project, schoolchildren get hands‑on experience in railway careers in a grown‑up learning format. At 26 children’s railways, students from grades 5 to 11 learn about core railway professions, including in the field of passenger services, track and infrastructure, rolling stock (locomotives and railcars), train control systems, and transport operations management. More than 50% of graduates go on to study at railway universities or vocational schools, many under targeted admission programmes.
We host the annual Russian Railways skills competition for young professionals where the students of Children’s Railways compete with other participants in seven skill areas: railway station operations, railcar maintenance and repairs, maintenance of railway automation and remote control systems, track maintenance, locomotive driving, prototyping, and teamwork in the management of transport operations.
Kvantorium science parks for children
Russian Railways opened six Kvantorium science parks for children at the Privolzhskaya, Sverdlovskaya, East‑Siberian, Chitinskaya, Svobodnenskaya and Far Eastern children’s railways. The project aims to unlock engineering potential and project‑based thinking in students, to train highly qualified personnel with unique skills, and to foster innovation. Children work with modern equipment and take part in the Company’s real life projects, with around 1,500 students developing innovative solutions each year.
Specialised sessions at national centres for children
Since 2018, Russian Railways has hosted specialised sessions “The Land of Railway” at the Company’s children’s camps and national recreational centres such as Artek, Ocean and Smena. These sessions fully immerse children in the world of railways and include workshops on emotional intelligence, leadership, soft skills and professional competencies, interactive games and championships.
Partner schools of the Company
In 2020, Russian Railways launched a project offering specialised RZD classes at municipal schools. Today, the initiative includes 109 such classes. The Company’s educational programme encompasses over 20 career guidance and academic activities that help students gain deeper insights into the railway industry.
We pay special attention to project‑based learning with such initiatives as Engineering Holidays, two‑week intensive training sessions held at the Kvantorium science parks. To support talented students with strong knowledge in natural and technical sciences, RZD School No. 7 in Novokuznetsk established a Centre for Gifted Children that uses advanced teaching methods for talent development.
Career guidance for schoolchildren
Russian Railways actively supports early career guidance by taking part in national and international events and competitions every year.
The Company is a partner of the Ticket to the Future project, which organises career trials at railway facilities for students from grades 6 to 11, offers teacher training, and helps develop learning materials.
Russian Railways also takes part in the Transport of the Future competition, offers nationwide online lessons, regularly participates in the Proektoria forum, and collaborates with the Sirius Educational Centre to support gifted youth.
Transport Engineers, nationwide competition of children’s engineering inventions
In 2024, following an instruction from President Vladimir Putin, Russian Railways and the Movement of the First enrolled support from the Russian Ministry of Education to organise Transport Engineers, a nationwide competition of children’s engineering inventions that drew participation from 87,000 school students across the country.
The competition aims to create new opportunities and ensure equal access for children to engage in science and technology and nurture mass interest in this field.
Big Break project
For the fifth year running, Russian Railways served as the general partner of the Big Break nationwide competition. Every year the Company’s employees develop case studies for participant and take part in the competition as speakers and experts. The main prize from the Company for students from grades 5 to 7 is the Dream Journey from St Petersburg to Vladivostok.
In partnership with the Federal Centre for Additional Education and the Organisation of Recreation and Wellness for Children, Russian Railways holds events to promote additional education among teachers and young people. Since 2022, the Company has held two‑week project‑based intensive learning sessions for the students of RZD classes, with the best projects selected to compete in the RZD Accelerator contest.
Land of Railway programme
In 2024, Russian Railways implemented the Land of Railway, an additional general development programme, in 53 of its children’s camps.
The variable part of the programme includes three modules tailored to different age groups: Railway Game Zone (ages 6 to 9) – 5,500 children, Iron Health (ages 10 to 13) – 7,500 children, and Rings of Protection (ages 14 to 16) – 2,000 children. More than 300 educators received training to deliver the programme.
The invariant part of the programme in 2024 was developed in such a way as to reflect the celebration of the Year of Family in Russia and the 50th anniversary of the start of construction on the Baikal–Amur Mainline. Over 45,000 children took part in the invariant activities.The programme places particular emphasis on engaging teenagers. In 2024, the children’s recreational camps run by the Company introduced the Teen Educator League, with 400 teenagers assisting camp educators as part of the programme delivery.
Partnership with universities
Russian Railways actively cooperates with nine dedicated universities scattered across Russia. Under the Programme of Russian Railways’ Interaction with Railway Universities, the Company works to upgrade the universities’ infrastructure and R&D capabilities, streamline learning processes, and improve the skills of university management and professors, with a total of 194 Russian Railways venues established across partner universities since the programme’s launch, including classrooms, branded zones, and simulator rooms.
In partnership with Russian Railways, universities continue to participate in such federal projects as Professionalitet, Priority‑2030, and Innovative Engineering Schools.
- Efforts continued to establish educational and industrial clusters under the Professionalitet federal project (part of Russia’s national social and economic development initiatives through 2030). With Russian Railways’ support, 17 such clusters have been created since the project’s inception, including five in 2024. Currently, over 2,300 students are enrolled under the programmes sponsored by the Company. Training is offered in four key railway specialisations: Railway Construction, Track, and Track Facilities; Power Supply; Rolling Stock (Locomotive) Operation and Maintenance; Railway Automation and Remote Control Systems.
- Three railway universities participating in the Priority‑2030 project continue to contribute to achieving Russia’s national development goals.
- Two Innovative Engineering Schools were established in Moscow and St Petersburg.
To improve the quality of specialist training, 73 university instructors took part in the Top 100 programme designed to develop the leadership talent pool at railway universities.
As part of its commitment to youth employment, Russian Railways continues to support Russian student squads. In the 2024 work semester, 18,000 people worked at the Russian Railways Group’s facilities as part of railway transport student squads – an absolute record entered in the Russian record book.
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