Formation of the system of professional education of the Emperor's Russian Technical Society

Introduction. The article is devoted to the analysis of the results of the activity of the Emperor’s Russian Technical Society (ERTS) and its Permanent committee in solving problems of the professional education system development. The author focuses on the analysis of this organization’s activity in creation of the lower level of the professional education for the workers of industrial enterprises. Materials and Methods. The materials published in the journal “Technical Education” (since 1908 - “Technical and Commercial Education”) were the main source of the research, as well as the resolution of the congresses of Russian activists for technical and commercial education. During these forums a concept of professional education within the unfolding modernization was developed; the problems of relation between general and special education were discussed; main types of technical and commercial schools were studied; the problems of financing of professional schools were raised, etc. General scientific and special methods, including system analysis were used as the main research methods. Results. The author makes a conclusion that the system of professional education was developed in Russia with the participation of the civil society and ERTS and its Permanent committee for technical education, which activity was mainly focused on lower professional education, played key role in this process. The reason for this was both the request of society itself during modernization and the financial capacities of ERTS. Discussion. The system of professional education of lower level, aimed at training of workers with modern competencies was the important factor of solving problems of the human capital quality during the unfolding modernization. The development of this system was suppressed by the low level of general education among the workers of industrial enterprises. Conclusion. The conclusion is made that, in spite of the difficulties of organizational, legal and financial nature, the system of the workers’ professional education, independent from the state institutions, developed rather successfully, which contributed to solving the problems of increasing the quality of the human capital during the country’s modernization. At the same time, it is noted that ERTS and its Permanent committee failed to completely solve this problem.