According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2019), many of today's skills will not match the jobs of tomorrow. Lifelong learning and learning to learn are thus crucial. The main objective of this exploratory research is to investigate how the social dimension of the Russian course sustains autonomisation and whether it supports the development of language, cultural, and other skills needed by 21st century apprentice engineers. The aim is also to enrich practices and try to improve the course in terms of student guidance, learning, and well-being, following an action research process that seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking action and conducting research (Stringer, 2008). To do so, the author will first examine the rationale of the course in light of the literature, combining sociocultural theory with the paradigm of autonomous learning through the lens of self-determination, self-regulation, and self-efficacy theories, which is an original theoretical basis for language learning research in France. Following a qualitative approach, the author will then analyse the data collected to explore how the social dimension manifests itself and its impact in terms of learning. [For the complete volume, "Language Learning and Professionalization in Higher Education: Pathways to Preparing Learners and Teachers in/for the 21st Century," see ED608931.]