"Continuing education has become a professional environment"

The labor market is changing faster than ever: the skills that are in demand now will soon become obsolete. In this race against time, the traditional model of education — "learned once and for life" — is no longer relevant. It has been replaced by an approach in which continuous learning becomes part of a professional path and meets current market requirements. Ilya Kurmyshev, CEO of Yandex Practicum, told Izvestia about the emerging trends in modern education and how EdTech reacts to them.

Why companies and employees learn in new ways

— What challenges do educational platforms have to respond to today?

— The most obvious one is the technological revolution. Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, and this creates two important trends. First, with the advent and rapid development of AI assistants, the demand for AI specialists and ownership of neural networks began to grow. Secondly, IT skills now require almost continuous updating. Not all educational centers and platforms keep up with the growing speed, and specialists themselves do not always keep up. This creates a critical gap between the skills of a significant part of the employees and the real demands of the industry.

What is called "advanced training of IT specialists" was often perceived as useful, but not mandatory, now it is becoming a matter of competitiveness, and sometimes the survival of businesses. We see confirmation of this in the sales dynamics. In 2025, the number of companies that prefer to train employees in our courses has increased by 34%. And sales of corporate training programs increased by 30%. This is a direct signal that companies are beginning to perceive such investments as a strategic necessity.

Artificial Intelligence: from opportunity to necessity

— Most employers today expect candidates and employees to know about neural networks. How do modern educational platforms address this business need?

— Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly. Now it can solve large-scale tasks and is used by specialists from completely different fields. So we are implementing modules on working with artificial intelligence in absolutely all our courses and constantly keep them relevant.

To do this, we are working in three directions. First, we are monitoring the general trends in the introduction of AI - which business processes companies integrate these technologies into. Secondly, we analyze how specialists apply them in their work. For example, when we saw that designers began to massively master neural networks, in addition to our "Alice AI", we added a module to design courses on the use of other neural networks like ChatGPT, Midjourney and DALL·E. Thirdly, we study vacancies and employers' requirements — what AI skills they expect from candidates. Based on this data, we decide to strengthen the module or launch a new course related to neural networks if we see a large demand from the market.

The modules are built according to the following principle. First, we identify the tasks relevant to a particular IT or digital specialty that can be solved using AI. Students study classical ways to solve them in order to form the skill of fundamental thinking, and only then learn how to apply artificial intelligence. This structure allows you not only to learn how to use ready-made tools, but also to understand the logic of their work, critically evaluate the results and adjust them.

— Will employees who do not know AI cease to be competitive?

— It depends on the specialty. Indeed, many tasks can now be performed faster with the help of AI. And the specialist who owns these tools becomes more productive. This is the reason for the higher competitiveness of our graduates. At the same time, it is important to understand that neural networks will remain assistants that enhance human expertise, rather than replace it.

We see two levels of demand for AI-related skills among employers. The first is the AI literacy of employees. In other words, we are talking about the ability to effectively use ready-made tools to solve everyday tasks: generating ideas, searching for information, creating code, and organizing work. This is as much a must-have skill as Excel used to be. The second is deep competencies in Data Science and machine learning. This refers specifically to specialties related to the creation of products based on neural networks. Accordingly, it is necessary to choose a development trajectory depending on the professional goal.

Our goal is to provide skills that help you become more effective in your current position and strengthen your position in the labor market if a specialist wants to change jobs. This year, we have managed to improve one of the key indicators in this area: last year, 73% of graduates of the Workshop found work within six months thanks to our job preparation program, in 2025 this figure has increased to 80%. And a recent study that we conducted together with hh.ru It showed that graduates with Internship courses on their resume receive 38% more job interview invitations than applicants who have not completed an internship course.

From diplomas to skills: a paradigm shift

— How has the approach to learning changed?

— Previously, people studied "for the long term," that is, they mastered a profession in order to look for a place to get a job with this baggage of knowledge. Now the market is gradually shifting from "diploma education" to "skills education" — the so-called skill-based approach, which focuses on competencies rather than formal requirements.

This approach especially appeals to experienced professionals who want to master specific skills that will allow them to work more effectively in their current position or get a promotion. It is important for them to learn quickly and see clear results. For these purposes, we have created a separate field, Practicum PRO, and recently we conducted a study among its graduates. We interviewed several hundred people, and found out that thanks to our professional development courses, 20% got a raise at work, and 30% increased in salary. At the same time, 52% received these improvements during their studies or within three months after graduation. Now 82% are ready to recommend the Workshop to friends and acquaintances.

Companies themselves have a request for short training programs for employees. When an employer invests in team development, they expect to see a link between the money invested and the growth of competencies in the near future. According to our surveys, almost 70% of the students who came to us to study at the expense of their employer want to become more effective in their current position and not leave the company. As of fall 2025, the most popular areas for in-depth expertise are the Advanced Go Developer, DevOps for Operation and Development, Neural Networks for Work, and Software Architecture programs.

Management: top request

— What requests do you hear most often from companies?

— There is a big demand for good managers. Our educational products for managers have been among the most popular since 2023. A year ago, we added a course for technical directors (CTO) to our portfolio, and now it is leading the ranking of management programs. Other popular areas are development team management, financial management, sales department management, and training for art directors.

At the same time, our analysis shows that programming remains the most popular area (51%) in which individual skills are acquired — we are talking about courses for representatives of different grades. Next year, educational companies will probably have to take an even broader look at the market to develop new narrow-profile professional development programs in various areas. At the same time, it will be important to focus on updating existing courses.

In addition, businesses are increasingly paying attention to the emotional state of employees at work: research shows that every second employer is ready to deal with the mental state of the team. A common cause of burnout is lack of development in the workplace. Additional education can be one of the mechanics that solve this problem. It is in the best interests of companies to send employees to training in order to increase motivation.

We include communication skills in our programs that help reduce the risk of burnout. In addition, their development itself contributes to career growth. In an era when AI can delegate many basic tasks, the fundamental difference in the quality of their execution disappears. Therefore, a candidate with communication skills stands out from the rest. It is also important for any specialist applying for a higher position to be able not only to perform their tasks, but also to present the results of their work, negotiate, etc. So the courses not only perform the function of knowledge transfer, but also create a supportive environment for the specialist.

Education of the future: data instead of guesses

— How does the launch of new courses and programs at Praktikum work, given that the market is changing very quickly?

— Each new program is the result of a multi—stage study. First, we look at whether there is a demand in the market: whether users are looking for training in a particular field, how often and exactly how the number of such requests changes. At the same time, we are studying the job market in this profession.: is the demand for specialists growing? Next, we proceed to study thousands of vacancies and analyze how many offers are presented for specialists with different grades and which key skills are indicated in the job description. Finally, we conduct interviews with employers representing both startups and large companies.

In addition, taking into account the rapid changes in the market, we are deepening and rethinking existing courses. We are reassessing the programs so that their graduates meet today's market requirements.

This is another challenge for educational companies — to review existing courses in a timely manner and improve them in time to meet the demands of employers. I believe that we will have to do this even more quickly in the future. To be honest, this is a big investment, but we are consciously making it in order to maintain the primacy in the quality and relevance of the programs.

EdTech and universities: partnership instead of confrontation

— How do I get the most relevant education? Can EdTech help with this?

— A new educational model is already being formed, and this is a partnership between EdTech and universities. Universities are responsible for fundamental knowledge and scientific base, and we are responsible for speed, expertise and direct communication with market demands. In 2025, leading technical universities (ITMO, MEPhI, MIPT), in partnership with Yandex Practicum, conducted recruitment for five new master's degrees. In total, more than 750 people were enrolled in these programs — they are the most widespread in partner universities. So the future does not lie in confrontation, but in the synergy of formats. And we think that there will be more and more such partnerships on the market.

Continuous learning is an established norm

— To summarize: it turns out that a modern specialist is doomed to constantly study?

— There is no point in talking about "doom". Rather, it is a new reality where education has become a professional's environment of existence. Continuous learning has ceased to be a personal matter for everyone, but has become an area that both the employee and the employer should take care of. And EdTech platforms create an ecosystem where there is human support and a sense of control over your career.

When a specialist realizes that he can master the necessary skill precisely in a few weeks and immediately apply it to work, the feeling of a race disappears. You gain confidence that you are in control of your own development. This is our task — to provide tools for growth in a changing world.