Study and work: IT companies will allocate 3% for education programs
Russian IT companies accredited by the Ministry of Finance will have to transfer at least 3% of the funds saved due to industry benefits for educational projects and training of future specialists. This approach will improve the quality of education of new personnel for the IT sector, Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. Izvestia investigated how this measure will affect the industry in the medium and long term.
Changing relationships
Currently, among the 500 largest IT companies that meet the requirements of the new program, only a fifth actually interact with the educational sphere, the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko told Izvestia.
At the same time, even those organizations that cooperate with universities are more often limited to events around learning, such as career guidance meetings, hackathons, contests, and similar activities.
Industry companies pay too little attention to full—fledged participation in the training of specialists — the development of training courses, teaching, and the organization of internships.
"The new measure will allow IT companies to be involved in the development and updating of educational programs. This will become a mandatory form of their interaction with universities. In addition, businesses will have to send practitioners to educational institutions as teachers," the office of the deputy chairman of the government noted.
This approach, according to Grigorenko's office, will improve the quality of training for future IT specialists and make their training more practice-oriented. In addition, thanks to the inclusion of relevant business issues in training and the participation of practitioners, it will be possible to accelerate the adaptation of educational programs to the real demands of the IT industry.
Safety margin
The current benefits system has really strengthened the position of the IT industry. Thanks to the zero income tax in 2022-2024 and the reduction of the rate to 5% after 2025, the fiscal burden has decreased by about 30-50%, an expert from the Popular Front told Izvestia. Analytics" by Vitaly Lazhintsev. This allowed the market to save significant amounts annually, directing them to pay and develop employees.
However, according to him, the distribution of investments in human capital turned out to be unbalanced: large players formed their own training centers, while representatives of the small and medium segment mainly used the released money for current expenses and attempts to close the personnel gap.
— The introduction of mandatory deductions of 3-5% of the amount of benefits is in fact an attempt to standardize what used to be an initiative of individual companies. This will create a stable flow of funds that can be used for student training, internships, program updates, and the work of young professionals with the technologies they really need," the expert noted.
However, in his opinion, there are several risks. It is not yet clear who and how the funds raised will be distributed and whether they will end up in educational institutions or corporate centers, so there is a high probability of a formality. In addition, 3-5% of the benefits are not able to close the annual deficit of 150-200 thousand specialists and significantly affect the market.
The threat of stratification also remains. Large companies will be able to strengthen their own universities, while small businesses will have to buy minimal programs. However, with a transparent mechanism and investments in internships, internships and updating disciplines, the initiative is still able to provide the industry with a stable flow of in-demand personnel, the expert believes.
Market prospects
The current system of benefits creates a financial resource for IT companies that previously could be directed at their own discretion, Vadim Yun, a member of the General Council of Delovaya Rossiya, told Izvestia. The new decree will potentially expand the scope and systematize the participation of businesses in personnel training, but the obligation may lead to formal execution: when funds are transferred, but there is no real training, internships and transfer of expertise.
"In the medium term, we can expect closer cooperation between universities and industry," the expert emphasized. — For example, the appearance of practice-oriented courses, internships, and the participation of practitioners. This is already noticeable in the new 2025 programs aimed at training highly qualified IT specialists, including the AI sector. With proper monitoring, this will reduce the gap between university education and market needs.
In the long term, such measures can create a sustainable training channel and reduce the shortage of specialists. But only if companies are honest and actively involved in the process.
However, with a formal approach, the effect will be minimal, and the level of training will not improve. The final result depends entirely on the quality of implementation, transparency of requirements, and the real involvement of businesses and universities.
Large IT companies are already investing in personnel training, Egor Diashov, Chairman of the Financial Markets Commission of the Moscow State Educational Institution Opora Russia, confirmed in an interview with Izvestia. However, the introduction of mandatory deductions enhances this process. Benefits are now directly related to companies' obligation to invest in the training of future employees, develop internships and trainings, which transforms personnel development from a voluntary initiative into a systematic element of activity.
— The decree also forms a closer link between the IT business and universities. Companies are required to enter into at least one agreement with an educational organization and participate in the learning process, including teaching and updating programs. This can create an environment where students gain practical experience from existing specialists, and communities and a full—fledged ecosystem are formed within universities for innovative projects and the emergence of highly qualified personnel," he believes.
Russia has a strong human resource potential in IT and a well-developed system of state and corporate support for specialists, which creates high competition for qualified teams capable of solving modern tasks, said Andrey Zhukovsky, senior researcher at the Institute of Regional Economics and Inter-Budgetary Relations at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
However, according to him, the needs of IT specialists change very quickly and support measures must adapt to new demands, otherwise the effectiveness of investments in human capital decreases. The introduction of mandatory contributions is aimed at systematizing companies' investments in personnel training and making them more predictable and targeted.
The creation of a fund through such a mechanism will make it possible to purposefully support problem areas, including social and everyday aspects of the lives of specialists, which is important for retaining staff in the country and reducing brain drain, the expert believes. It can also contribute to the formation of a steady stream of highly qualified IT specialists, strengthen ties between educational organizations and the industry, and increase the stability and competitiveness of the Russian IT industry.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Finance, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
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