As part of the Professionalitet federal project, Dorogobuzh (a member of Acron Group) has become an industrial partner of the Smolensk region’s vocational education and industry cluster for the electrical engineering sector. Roman Dmitriev, Dorogobuzh’s Executive Director, signed the agreement to establish the new cluster, which is scheduled for launching in 2027.
Besides Dorogobuzh, the cluster brings together other representatives of industry and education. Its industrial partners include the Research Institute of Modern Telecommunication Technologies, Unipro (a branch of Smolensk State Regional Power Plant), Smolenskenergo (a branch of Rosseti Centre), Smolenskregionteploenergo, and Germes. The educational institutions participating in the cluster are Smolensk Regional Technological Academy, Smolensk Academy of Vocational Education, Safonovo Technological College, Vyazma Academy of Technology and Transport, and Yartsevo Industrial College.
According to Dina Khlynova, Deputy Chair of the Smolensk Regional Government and Minister of Education and Science, the project helps address key challenges, including filling staff shortages, securing future employment opportunities for students, and improving college curricula, facilities and resources.
Smolensk Regional Technological Academy (SRTA) has been designated as the flagship educational institution of the Professionalitet electrical engineering cluster. Dorogobuzh will allocate RUB 3 million for purchasing modern equipment and refurbishments. In total, the cluster’s industrial partners will invest RUB 30 million in this project.
Roman Dmitriev emphasised that cooperation between Dorogobuzh and SRTA is progressing rapidly. ‘In 2024 and 2025, 25 students of Smolensk Regional Technological Academy participated in Dorogobuzh’s scholarship and employer-sponsored education programmes, and we plan to sign a further 25 employer-sponsored education agreements this year. In the first half of 2026, 20 students completed internship, twice as many as during the previous three years. The first SRTA graduates whose education we financed have already joined the Dorogobuzh team. We look forward to welcoming SRTA students and graduates from various fields, including electrical engineering, installation, maintenance and repair of electronic equipment, instrumentation, and electromechanical and thermal engineering. We participate in this cluster to attract skilled and motivated young people, support their professional and career development, and strengthen Acron Group’s workforce potential’.