What factors best explain the low incidence of skills training in a late industrial society like Russia? This research undertakes a multilevel analysis of the role of occupational structure in the probability of training. The explanatory power of occupation-specific determinants and skills polarization are evaluated, using a representative 2012 sample from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. Applying a two-level Bayesian logistic regression model, we show that the incidence of training in Russia is significantly contextualized within the structure of occupations and the inequalities between them. The study shows that extremely high wage gaps within managerial class jobs can discourage training, an unusual finding. Markets accumulating interchangeable and disposable labour best explain the low incidence of training: workers within generic labour are less likely to develop their skills formally, except in urban markets. Although we did not find strong evidence of skills polarization, Russians are yet to live in a knowledge economy.