Stepping Stones to Working Life in the Field of EU–Russia Relations will be an annual one-week intensive course on practical skills and an introduction to professional life in the academia, research institutes, policy-making and the private sector. It is aimed at Master’s level students in International Relations, Russian Studies and Sociology at Finnish and Russian universities. The course focuses on the external relations of the European Union and EU–Russia relations, and each annual course is organised around a timely sub-theme. A special event will be organised for the wider public in conjunction with the training course each year. Moreover, the students can combine the course with additional supervision and support for the Master’s theses. The course is designed to narrow the gap between the academia and relevant potential employers in the field of EU–Russia relations. The needs and expectations of the employers and the skills and knowledge of the recent graduates do not often meet, and it is imperative to explore innovative ways of connecting the two sides and fostering the assessment of transversal skills. Through their expertise and connections in the field of EU–Russia relations, the University of Tampere and the key staff responsible for the Jean Monnet Module are ideally suited to answer this need. At the training course, the students will learn about the potential employers’ expectations and the requirements of actual career paths in the field of EU–Russia relations. The students will have the chance to showcase their expertise and research, and the dialogue between the students and the potential employers, as well as the feedback received, will further motivate them to value their expertise and seek new ways to employ it. The innovative nature of the course stresses learning by doing and the exchange of practical know-how, also with the students engaging with policy-oriented thinking and dialogue.