Marat Khusnullin: First Cohort of Digital Skills Training at Construction Colleges Completed

Russia's construction sector is continuing to implement the "roadmap" under the Concept for Workforce Development in the Construction and Housing and Utilities Sector [a strategic planning document outlining personnel training goals for Russia's construction industry and public utilities] through 2035. One key element of this work is the early professional development of future specialists. The DOM.RF Technologies Academy [the educational arm of DOM.RF, a state-owned financial institution supporting housing development and construction] has completed the first cohort of a federal educational module on digital competencies for students in the vocational secondary education system, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the DOM.RF Supervisory Board Marat Khusnullin announced.

"Developing a skilled workforce is of strategic importance for achieving the country's national development goals, and today we are placing particular emphasis on the digital transformation of the sector. It is important that future construction workers are mastering modern domestic technologies and software already at the college stage. The first cohort of digital skills training at construction colleges has now concluded, covering five regions: Krasnodar Krai, Kaliningrad Oblast, Ulyanovsk Oblast, the Republic of Mari El, and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Given that the vocational secondary education system today provides a significant share of the influx of young specialists into construction, projects such as this are intended to play an important role in renewing the workforce and improving the quality of graduate preparation," said Khusnullin.

The project launched in September 2025 and was delivered at the Krasnodar Polytechnic Technical College, the College of Construction and Professional Technologies in Kaliningrad Oblast, the Yoshkar-Ola Construction Technical College, the Yakut Municipal Construction Technical College, and the Ulyanovsk College of Urban Development and Law.

The educational module was integrated into existing curricula and structured around practical tasks. Over six months, students studied digital tools used in the construction sector, building information modeling (BIM) technologies, and the application of artificial intelligence. Students worked with domestic software — the DOM.RF Technologies product ("Digital Construction Control") and products developed by ASCON [a Russian engineering software company] (Renga and Pilot-BIM) — and participated in project sessions and meetings with industry experts.

A key feature of the program was its adaptability: the module was adjusted for each college to reflect the students' area of specialization and existing workload, which allowed the practical focus of the training to be strengthened without placing additional burden on teaching staff.

"Today the construction sector is transforming rapidly, shifting toward new technological and managerial standards, which requires updating approaches to workforce development at the college level. In this context, early specialization and project-based work with modern digital tools becomes critically important. DOM.RF is implementing and supporting digital educational projects aimed at advancing the sector. Our priority is to prepare specialists who will be ready to tackle complex technological challenges, introduce innovations in residential construction, and shape a new urban environment," said Alexey Nidens, First Deputy Director General of DOM.RF.

The project will help strengthen collaboration between colleges and regional employers. Integrating industry-specific tasks into the educational process facilitates the development of a sustainable "college–business" model, in which student preparation is directly aligned with the needs of construction companies.

The program is delivered to educational institutions on a fully non-commercial basis. An expansion of its geographic coverage is planned for 2026.