On December 20, an educational track as part of Rossotrudnichestvo’s “Russian Engineering School” (RES) program—an intensive engineering marathon for schoolchildren and students—was successfully completed at the Additional Education Center based at the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). The event became an important platform for developing digital competencies among youth from CIS countries and beyond.
Format: From Theory to Real Product
The marathon program was structured as an eight-day intensive—each day participants devoted two hours to in-depth work. The key focus was practical mastery of two in-demand programming languages: C++ and Python.
The format’s distinctive feature was its systematic approach: from basic concepts to creating one’s own IT product. Participants didn’t simply listen to lectures but immediately applied knowledge in practice, going through the full development cycle—from idea to presentation of a finished solution.
What Participants Learned
The program offered a flexible learning track: each participant could choose the level of complexity and direction of work. As a result, young engineers:
- studied basic and advanced programming language constructs;
- learned to write optimized code for solving applied tasks;
- gained experience developing functional software modules;
- mastered modern approaches to formatting and presenting IT projects.
The final challenge was a personal project: each participant developed their own software solution and publicly presented it to an expert jury. Such defenses not only demonstrated technical skills but also trained an important professional skill—the ability to communicate the value of development to an audience.
More Than Programming: Formation of Professional Competencies
Organizers emphasize that the engineering marathon went beyond an ordinary programming course. Participants acquired a complex of skills in demand in the job market:
- structuring and presenting results — the ability to clearly articulate the essence of a project and argue for decisions;
- team development — experience working collaboratively on complex technical assignments;
- defending project solutions — practice in public speaking before a professional audience;
- understanding IT industry standards — knowledge of requirements for formatting and documenting software products.
Project Significance: Bridge Between Education and Industry
The “Russian Engineering School” engineering marathon became an example of effective interaction between education and the IT industry. The program:
- closes the gap between academic knowledge and real market requirements;
- develops skills in demand in the digital economy among youth;
- creates space for international exchange of experience and ideas;
- motivates schoolchildren and students toward careers in engineering professions.
The project continues to strengthen the position of the “Russian Engineering School” as an active platform for training personnel for the digital economy and developing the international engineering community.
