Research is devoted to a new strategic initiative for the development of secondary vocational education "Professionalitet". This initiative is declared as a new level of education in colleges and contains approaches and principles for updating the content of vocational education, intensifying the development of professional educational organizations and reducing the duration of training.

A retrospective analysis of the history of secondary vocational education revealed the predisposition of this level of education to rejection and change in the semantic connotations of the levels of vocational education in different historical periods. The process of development is often presented as a struggle of emerging new entities with old meanings, which inevitably continue to function in the minds of people. Historical retrospective knowledge gives us the opportunity to optimize our views on the inevitable new and the obsolete old.

Presents the characteristics of the project "Professionalitet". The analysis of the socio-economic reasons for the creation of professionalism allows us to speak about its objective necessity, and the presented structure of the new level of education gives an answer to the question-due to what the training period will be reduced. Special attention is paid to the risks and problems that will have to be faced when implementing this project.

The current problems arising in the implementation of the educational process in institutions of secondary vocational education are considered: self-determination of applicants, their interest in obtaining a specific specialty; the qualifications of the teaching staff, their professionalism and dedication; material and technical equipment of classrooms, laboratories and workshops. These indicators are reflected in the quality of the provision of educational services, the qualifications of graduates, the rating of the educational institution.

The purpose of the study, based on many years of pedagogical experience of working with students and in the teaching and methodological department of secondary vocational education, is to draw attention to the accumulated issues in the secondary vocational education system, which are largely due not only to financial difficulties, but also from inconsistency of actions within the teaching staff.

Analyzing the downward trend in the quality of education, possible ways of changing the situation that require a professional approach have been identified.

Effective functioning of the psychological and pedagogical service of educational institutions; motivation of applicants to obtain a specialty; competent work of curators with students' parents; mentoring activities of experienced teachers with young teachers; attentive attitude to the organization of the lesson — as the main activity of the teacher; correct analysis of regulatory documents; competent development of educational documentation; modern equipment of classrooms, laboratories, workshops — this is only a partial solution to many problems.

The results of the research can be useful for teaching staff of secondary vocational schools when organizing a system for training qualified workers and mid-level specialists.

Today, changes are being made to the main regulatory documents in the field of education, which require a revision of the structure and content of federal state standards. In addition, the labor market requires synchronization of content with the requirements of specific industries. All this required a revision of the layout of the standard for secondary vocational education. Today, 100 educational standards are already in development.

For the study, an analysis of the current federal state educational standards and their changes since their introduction in the system of secondary vocational education was carried out. And also considered the latest changes in the regulatory framework of secondary vocational education. Based on the method of analysis, the main changes in the structure and content of federal educational standards were identified. On the basis of the modeling method, the directions of changes in the approximate basic educational programs were determined.

The changes identified in the course of the study will allow educational organizations to more successfully apply these standards in the development of basic educational programs.

Changes in the vocational education system associated with the approbation of a new layout will allow the education system to respond to the dynamically changing demands of the labor market and provide training for workers who meet the modern requirements of the economy.

In 2020 JSC Russian Railways approved the Program for the Development of the Company's Human Capital, a part of which is the improvement and development of the system of professional training and professional development of workers and employees for JSC "Russian Railways". This category of employees is the most numerous in the personnel structure of the company. The level of professional training of workers and employees has a direct impact on the safety and continuity of the transportation process. Therefore, great attention is paid to the training and development of workers and employees.

The current state of blue-collar occupations in railway transport and their transformation, taking into account the ongoing digitalization of the main production processes, are considered.

Forecasting of further vocational training processes was carried out, taking into account the tasks set in the Long-term Development Program of Russian Railways until 2025.

The prerequisites for the creation and the main sections of the program for improving the corporate system for the development and training of workers and employees at Russian Railways are shown.

The content of the educational process in training centers is focused on the specifics of working on railway transport. This factor is significant, since training in training centers ensures that the preparedness of workers and employees meets the needs of the company in relation to not only the equipment and technologies studied, but also the development of the corporate culture of work in the industry.

The issues of the participation of students of professional educational organizations in the WorldSkills Russia championships are considered through the prism of quality indicators for training specialists.

A systematic analysis of theoretical sources of information devoted to the integration of the movement "Young Professionals" (WorldSkills Russia) into the vocational education system, the problems of forming competencies among students in the process of introducing WorldSkills Russia standards has been carried out.

The method of direct observation is used, with the help of which empirical material was collected about the experience of participation of the Volgograd Technical School of Railway Transport — branch of the Rostov State Transport University, in the development of new competencies in WorldSkills Russia; polls of teachers; comparison; generalization.

The key problems of practice-oriented activities of students are identified, the experience of the participation of students and teachers of the branch in the WorldSkills Russia championship movement is summarized.

The effectiveness of the participation of students in the WorldSkills Russia championships for the period 2017-2021 has been analyzed.

The positive effects of involvement in the championship movement have been determined: improving the qualifications of teachers, strengthening the material base of the educational organization in accordance with the requirements of the infrastructure competency sheets. It is shown that the involvement of students in the WorldSkills Russia championship movement provides an opportunity to popularize and increase the prestige of the profession, motivate them to professional education and improve their qualifications.

The features of training students and teachers for participation and holding a scientific and practical conference are considered. Participation in a scientific and practical conference is the result of a great work of a student and his supervisor, which is preceded by a complex research activity. It is important to give students not only a certain set of knowledge, teach them the basic methods and algorithms of activity, but also teach them to navigate in the flow of information, the ability to pose timely and relevant questions and independently receive substantiated answers to them.

The conditions for the implementation of successful research activities in college are shown, organizational and methodological work in this direction, its stages, goals, objectives and results are described. Employer surveys indicate that the requirements for the level of professional training and personal qualities of college graduates are increasing. Research activities of students, as one of the areas of work, allows us to prepare modern specialists who are able to constantly improve their professional knowledge and successfully apply them in practice. The acquisition of skills in the preparation of reports, articles on conducted research, skills of public presentation of the results obtained and their justification at conferences, contributes to the formation of a reflective culture, strengthens pedagogical cooperation between teachers and students.

Educational activity in the form of practical training provides for the demonstration of practical skills, the implementation, modeling by students of certain types of work to solve practical problems related to future professional activities in conditions close to real production.

Practical training in preparation for professional activity has become an integral part of the educational process and the use of simulator training makes a significant contribution to this concept, given the fact that, under the conditions of transport security, it is not always possible for students to access real production facilities. Information technologies bring additional opportunities to the educational process in the development of professional competencies. The use of training complexes is becoming widespread in the railway industry in the development of educational programs of secondary vocational education and training of qualified personnel.

In accordance with the decisions of the Program of Interaction between JSC "Russian Railways" and University Complexes of Railway Transport until 2025, training of qualified specialists ofJSC "Russian Railways" in the future of the program for the development of structural divisions and the development of the material and technical base of universities, the laboratory on specialty 23.02.01 Organization of transportation and management of transport (by type), which is a hardware and software complex "Train district dispatcher / duty at a railway station". The purpose of implementing a simulator is to improve the ability of students to skillfully apply professional competencies in train work, be able to competently use the knowledge gained in emergency and non-standard situations, make optimal decisions in operational work, and implement a system of measures to prevent defects in the production process.

The Educational and instructional center for railway transportation took part in the IX International Industrial Exhibition EXPO-RUSSIA KAZAKHSTAN and the VII Almaty Business Forum, which were held on June 23-25, 2021 in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan.

Educational and instructional center for railway transportation presented new publications on the main specialties of railway transport at the events. A number of cooperation agreements have been signed with educational institutions.

In the passenger transportation segment, there is a trend towards door-to-door travel planning. This direction, which is relevant in the world practice of passenger transportation, with a correctly proposed approach, can also be used in the cities of the Russian Federation.

The use of a multimodal method of passenger transportation together with MaaS technologies in case of maximum involvement of carrier operators will allow passengers to significantly reduce travel time and find a way to reduce travel costs.

Sophisticated logistics of commuter rail transport routes for all time periods will attract additional passenger traffic, increasing the profitability of passenger traffic.

The conducted research on the example of the transport-interchange complex of the city of N showed the possibility of organizing a passenger's trip "from door to door" with minimal costs and maximum comfort. The passenger railway company receives direct profit from this service, which makes it possible to recoup the project in a short time. Conclusions are made about the dependence of the profitability of the bus fleet on the number of seats, distance and popularity of the route direction. The organization of additional services on the territory as close as possible to the places of embarkation and disembarkation of passengers will increase the attractiveness of the transport and interchange complex for the passenger traffic of N.

The general results of the work of the automobile transport in the world during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, summed up on the results of the work of the Special Group on COVID-19 of the World Road Association, based on the materials of almost three dozen webinars with the participation of representatives from many countries of the world. It is emphasized that the automobile transport during the pandemic was able to maintain efficiency and ensure the transport of passengers and critical goods to maintain the vitality of national economies. The features of the work of the automobile transport during the pandemic and accompanying lockdowns, including the impact of the drop in traffic on the financial condition of the automobile and automobile industry, disclosed. Based on the generalization and assessment of world experience, recommendations formulated on the organization of passenger and freight traffic, routine maintenance and repair of roads, road construction, management of the road industry with a wide organization of remote work of office personnel and the intensive use of information and computer technologies during pandemics. Proposals made for the further organization of the work of the automobile and automobile industry based on the forecast of the wave development of the COVID-19 pandemic and possible similar global disasters.

The current situation on the territory of Russian transport parks is considered, where the preference is given to the modernization of the existing rolling stock over the purchase of new transport. The analysis of modernization is carried out, the main stages and advantages of the improvement of tram cars are shown on the example of tram facilities in St. Petersburg and Izhevsk. A number of trends that have developed in modern market conditions are noted. The use of one of the oldest modes of transport — the tram — has proven its profitability, high carrying capacity, the ability to achieve high speeds, and the introduction of the latest technologies to reduce noise and vibration increases not only aesthetic appeal for urban residents, but also reduces the impact on environmental systems.

It has been established that overhaul and refurbishment with complete modernization can extend the service life of the tram up to 15 years.

"Launching" a tram line on a concession basis in a small town can become an effective anti-crisis tool with an appropriate feasibility study and organizational issues. The tram as a public transport is more profitable for the city, since the lane allocated for it is more efficiently used, because a tram in a 2-3-car coupling carries more people than a trolleybus. Renewal of the tram fleet through modernization is a current trend.

The purpose of the study is to characterize the laboratory equipment of a new generation that meets the requirements that are imposed today on the training of specialists in the rolling stock of railways. Analytical, diagnostic and didactic methods, theory and methodology of design and mechanics of freight wagon, theory of complex systems, systems engineering, modeling, as well as methodological tools for organizing experiments were used. The scientific novelty is the constructive and technological scheme of a specialized laboratory stand; a didactic set of materials for organizing laboratory work using this stand.

It has been established that the introduction of a new rolling stock with an increased carrying capacity is the main trend of modern car building and should be accompanied by appropriate training of highly qualified specialists capable of further development of new generation freight wagons. It is noted that conducting educational and research sessions involves studying not only the problems of strength, but also acquiring skills in working with digital technologies for collecting and transmitting data. A detailed description is given of a specialized stand developed at the Department of "Wagons and Carriage Facilities" of PGUPS for studying the properties of dynamics and strength of freight wagons of the laboratory stand. In particular, the device of the base trolley model 18-9855 is shown, the technology of the stand operation is described, illustrative materials are given on the structure and principle of operation of the projected stand. For practical laboratory exercises, a typical version of laboratory work with the use of this stand is proposed. It is shown that the involvement of students in the implementation of practical experiments and applied bench research increases interest in the future profession and allows the formation of strong skills in practical diagnostics of the current state of a freight wagon.

Railways, being the basis of the country's transport system, provide timely and high-quality satisfaction of the needs of shippers and consignees in transportation. One of the most effective ways of cargo delivery is container transportation.

For the transportation of containers, specialized rolling stock is used — platform cars equipped with special container attachment points — fitting stops. The design of stops for container fittings limits the spontaneous displacement of containers, prevents them from tipping over. Various designs of fitting stops are used in practice and exist only in the information representation in the form of patents and technical documentation. As a result of the comparative and statistical analysis, similarities and differences in the design were established, and common features were determined. The designs of stops and devices for fixing containers on platforms used in Kazakhstan and the United States are considered. The presented classification of fitting stops is based on the results of the analysis of the structures of fitting stops installed on specialized platform cars operated in the Russian Federation. Fitting stops of specialized platform cars for container transportation are classified in three directions.

The classification obtained as a result of the study allows us to establish the uniformity of the structures used for fitting stops of platform cars for the transport of containers and opens up the possibility of finding a way to improve certain structures united by common features.

One of the oldest transport universities in the country — the Russian University of Transport (RUT (MIIT)) — is 125 years old. The history of the university and transport education in general is reflected in the expositions of the university museum.

The main historical periods of the development of the museum, starting from 1896, are noted: tsarist Russia, the soviet period until the Great Patriotic war of 1941-1945, the war and post-war years, the post-soviet period.

The RUT Museum (MIIT), being the same age as the university, today is one of the oldest museums in Moscow. The collections of items collected in its funds are striking in their diversity and uniqueness. The museum has over 12,000 items, 7,000 of which are on permanent display for visitors. All cultural heritage sites are inextricably linked with the rich history of the university and the history of Russia. Most of the museum's collection is traditionally collected thanks to the help and support of the university staff, as well as its graduates from different years, who honor the traditions of the Alma mater and carefully preserve the history of the university for posterity.

Taking into account the specifics of the museum, it is obvious that the number and themes of its expositions will only expand over time, which means that it will not lose its relevance for a very long time and will be of interest to guests of all ages and professions.

The strategy of socio-economic development of the Orenburg region until 2020 and for the period until 2030 provides for a number of transformations in the region based on the natural resource potential, polycentric settlement system, favorable geopolitical position, transit potential of the Orenburg region. A special emphasis in the Strategy is placed on the development of railway transport, overland Eurasian international transport corridors. The unique geopolitical position of the Orenburg region necessitated the presence of a developed railway transport network in this region and, accordingly, the training of appropriate personnel.

The history of one of the oldest educational institutions of the Orenburg region — the Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport is considered.

Archival materials, published sources (periodicals, Internet resources), personal memoirs of teachers, employees and students of Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport were used. Methods of historicism, consistency, analysis are applied.

The creation of Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport, the position of the technical school in the difficult 1920s, during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period, the expansion of the educational institution and the change of its location, the current state of the technical school and its potential are shown.

Today, we can say with complete confidence that Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport is a kind of "locomotive" that provides highly qualified personnel to a strategically important region of Russia and the development of railway transport in the region.