Technikum

Technikum (Russian: те́хникум, tr. tekhnikum; IPA: [ˈtʲɛxnʲɪkʊm]; Ukrainian: те́хнікум; Polish: technikum) was an institute of vocational education in countries in the former Soviet bloc.

A mass-education facility of "special middle education" category 1 step higher than PTU, but aimed to train low and middle level (depending on profile) industrial managers, foremen, coordinators, technical supervisors etc. or specializing in occupations that require skills more advanced than purely manual labor, especially in high-tech occupations (such as electronics). This category remained in use in post-USSR republics. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union many technikums in CIS countries were renamed to colleges. After graduation from a technikum/college, a student may apply to an institution of higher learning (i.e. university) as a freshman.

A student finishing the second level of compulsory education (gimnazjum) has to choose between three types of schools:

Technikum, unlike purely vocational school, covers additional knowledge of general subjects, with much more advanced Mathematics,Physics and Chemistry, in comparison to liceum ogólnokształcące - standard college . The amount of professional knowledge is also extended with respect to vocational school and includes lab testing and design.

People who have finished technikum and have passed the final exams (organized by an external, state unit - Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna - Central Examination Committee) in their profession obtain a title consisting of the word technik and the profession they have learnt (for example technik elektryk - electrical industry technician), where the word technician (technik) cannot be used by those who finished three-year vocational school. Their title contains only the name of profession, for example elektryk (electrician).

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