By the reign of Nicholas II, a rudimentary and rather loose network of vocational institutions existed throughout the Russian Empire, drawing its support and funding from various sources including the state and private industry and catering to students of varying levels of literacy and other preparation. A similar situation existed in areas that were not immediately absorbed into the USSR. The physical capital of these schools served as a kernel for subsequent Soviet institutions, a network expanded rapidly in concert with the industrialization drives of Soviet leaders. In the 1920-1930s, the forerunners of PTU's included "schools of factory and plant apprenticeship", which were partly inherited from the vocational school system of the Russian Empire. In 1940, they were reorganized to "vocational schools", and in 1959 to PTUs. PTUs, increasingly standardized through the 1960s, formed a government-funded USSR-wide system for school graduates who didn't intend to receive a university degree. Instead, they were both educated generally and trained for non-academic occupations. There were PTUs specializing in almost all such professions, but the most common were construction and machinery positions. Specializations also included electricians, secretaries, cooks, waiters and even mosaic artists. The usual entering age for students was 15 - after 8 years of ordinary school, with students coming from peasant backgrounds, the lower working class, orphanages and the like. Two or three years of learning were typical, though some students would enter after 10 years of ordinary school and learn during 1 year. PTUs sometimes required no entrance examination and provided students with free dormitories and meals. Parents were also attracted by the 24-hour presence of "upbringers" - mentors tasked with preventing students from engaging in deviant behavior. Further employment was also guaranteed, as well as the possibility of continuing education at university level. PTUs played an important role in urbanizing rural communities and forming the Soviet working class.
PTU's in the Post-Soviet Period
During the transformation to a market economy, PTUs suffered a huge blow as their graduates lost socialist employment guarantees. Many PTUs were closed or merged and the number of students declined dramatically. Some PTUs were renamed and reformed into "lyceums" in an attempt to gain higher status and establish tuition fees.
