Yandex Practicum

Yandex Practicum (Яндекс Практикум) is a Russian-language online school for careers in IT and digital work, run as "Проект компании Яндекс" (a Yandex company project). Its page title calls it a service for online education in IT and training for digital professions. The courses are taught in Russian and aimed at learners who want to change careers or move up in one: programming, data analysis, design, management, marketing, AI skills and English. The school's blog adds that the platform holds "более 150 готовых курсов" (more than 150 ready-made courses), mostly in IT, and that companies can also plan staff training on it.

Career programs and courses

The catalog has three tiers, shown on the homepage as "Профессия с нуля" (a profession from scratch), "Для роста в карьере" (for career growth) and "Онлайн-магистратуры" (online master's degrees).

The from-scratch professions are long programs with a stated duration. Examples on the homepage:

• Software Testing Engineer (Инженер по тестированию), from scratch, 5 months
• Python Developer, from scratch, 10 months
• Go Developer, from scratch, 8 months
• Data Analyst (Аналитик данных), from scratch, 7 months
• Data Science Specialist, from scratch, 13 months
• Frontend Developer, listed alongside them

The career-growth tier carries a "PRO" label and is shorter: DevOps for operations and development (PRO, 6 months), software architecture, advanced Go development, product management for experienced specialists (PRO, 4 months), deep learning engineer (PRO, 2 months) and "Нейросети для работы" (AI tools for work), PRO, 2 months, open to beginners. A separate set of AI courses covers vibe coding and AI for marketing, business and design.

For learners who want a degree, Practicum lists online master's programs with partner universities. НИЯУ МИФИ (MEPhI) offers "Специалист по работе с данными и применению ИИ" (data and applied AI specialist), from scratch, 22 months. ИТМО (ITMO) offers master's programs in frontend, backend and AI solutions, cybersecurity, DevOps engineering for cloud services (22 months), and product management in digital business. These degrees are awarded through the universities; the Practicum programs themselves lead to a different document, described below.

How the teaching works

The homepage describes the study process as "похож на рабочий" (similar to real work), with tasks that get harder step by step. Theory can be read on a smartphone, and "ИИ-ассистент внутри курсов" (an AI assistant inside the courses) helps learners review, summarize or find material. The blog adds that courses contain many interactive tasks, practice simulators and videos.

The school puts its connection to Yandex front and center. Program experts, authors and mentors are, in its words, "действующие сотрудники Яндекса" (current Yandex employees), and the programs include real business cases and tasks from Yandex Plus, Maps and Travel. Yandex AI enthusiasts share experience with students at online meetups.

Support is built around people. The homepage names a support team, fellow students and a graduate community as the core of the courses, and the blog mentions a strong team of mentors and curators who help students stay motivated, while warning that independent study needs good discipline. Courses are updated "так же быстро, как меняется рынок" (as fast as the market changes), and the blog says programs are revised every year to match business requirements. The company also says it analyzes how students learn, where motivation drops, to improve courses. A Practicum app lets learners study "когда и где хотите" (when and where you want).

Starting free, prices and payment

Many courses can be started for free. The homepage says "Эти и другие курсы можно начать бесплатно" (these and other courses can be started for free) and "Привязывать карту не нужно" (no need to link a card): learners get their first skills and a feel for the format, then decide whether to continue. There are also free AI workshops from Yandex experts, free webinars, a free career orientation course, "Старт в IT," and a free consultation with a Practicum specialist on choosing a direction.

Course prices are not shown on these pages. What is shown is a promotion: "Скидка 16% до 30 сентября" (16% off until September 30), plus a gift set of 6 bonus courses, including one on AI skills, for courses paid by that date. The footer links to payment methods, a gift certificate, a referral program ("Подарок за друга") and a public offer agreement.

Career center and outcomes

The career center is a large part of the pitch. Advisors teach résumé writing and interview preparation and show "как вести переговоры" (how to negotiate). The school finds real projects for students so they can build a portfolio during the course, and it runs its own job platform, "Карьера от Яндекс Практикума," with vacancies only for graduates. Employers and companies can offer internships, vacancies and student projects through the site.

The homepage gives several figures, each with its own source. "Каждый день 15 выпускников получают приглашения на работу" (every day 15 graduates receive job invitations), «В среднем, по данным нашего карьерного центра за 2025 год» (on average, according to our career center data for 2025). Citing a study with hh.ru, it says employers invite Practicum graduates to interviews 38% more often and that graduates start on a 10% higher salary. In a separate study on AI and the job market, it says AI skills pay up to 14.5% more and that "ИИ уже в 4 из 10 вакансий" (AI is already in 4 of 10 vacancies). These are the school's own numbers, not independent placement audits.

Credentials and awards

Educational services are provided by АНО ДПО «Образовательные технологии Яндекса» (ANO DPO Yandex Educational Technologies) under license № Л035-01298-77/00185314 of March 24, 2015. According to the footer, the same organization issues the document confirming completion of a program of additional professional education (дополнительное профессиональное образование). That is a further-education document, not a university degree; the degrees come only through the partner master's programs.

The homepage lists awards: "№1 по обучению с ИИ в 2025 году" (No. 1 in AI training in 2025), winner in the category «Внедрение ИИ в образование» (implementing AI in education) and «Edtech-компании года» (edtech companies of the year) at Edtechs Awards 2025, and "Лучшая образовательная компания года" (best education company of the year).

For companies

A "Компаниям" (for companies) section sits in the main menu. The blog describes corporate training on the platform with reports on key metrics, courses that can be customized to a company's business tasks, the mobile app and the mentor team. It claims that the productivity of employees trained at Practicum "увеличилась в 1,5 раза" (rose 1.5 times), citing Practicum as the source.

Who it suits and who it does not

Yandex Practicum suits Russian-speaking adults who want to move into IT from another field and value a long, structured program with mentors, real projects and job search help. Testimonials on the homepage include a blacksmith who became a freelance web developer and a woman who retrained as a business analyst at 46. Working developers can use the shorter PRO courses for DevOps, architecture or deep learning, and the free start lets anyone test the format before paying. Companies that train staff in IT skills get customization and reporting.

It suits less well anyone who does not read Russian, since the courses and site are in Russian. Learners who want to compare prices up front will need to open each course page or contact the school, as the homepage shows only the discount. The blog also notes that the catalog leans heavily toward IT.