ABSTRACT
This chapter provides analysis of national-level Human Resource Development (HRD) systems that have emerged in Russia during the reform period. It discusses country-level programs and initiatives of the first decade of the reform, from the fall of Communism to the financial crisis. The chapter examines the changes introduced by the Vladimir Putin administration in 2000-2009. During this period of time, the predominant discourse in the Russian literature on human resource and workforce development was that of Human Capital (HC). The new government, led by Vladimir Putin, had started a new round of major reforms aiming to strengthen the country's competitiveness. Human capital development was considered the key to achieving such competitiveness. A combination of the Russian government's efforts and support provided by the World Bank, UNDP, and the European Union led to the resurgence of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system.
