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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM AS A DRIVER OF THE LIFELONG EDUCATION SYSTEM
I. A. Khramtsova
Today the contradictions between continuously growing knowledge required by an individual and the limited conditions for mastering it (in the framework of traditional education systems) are growing increasingly deeper. These contradictions can only be resolved through a transition to lifelong education. Creating a flexible system of lifelong professional education in line with the needs of the country and new trends in the labor market has become one of the main strategic goals; education should ensure Russia’s competitiveness in the global world and a high quality of living.
The transition of the Russian economy toward innovative development aggravates the problems of the quality of education of graduates from professional education institutions of all levels. The most important issues here include the following: (a) elimination of the imbalance between workforce supply and demand in the context of professions and qualifications; (b) filling the gap between education services offered and the needs of the labor market; and (c) inconsistency of some of the key concepts in the fields of labor and education (such as the concept of “profession” as a multi-level structure, and the concept of “specialty”), to name just few.
The lack of a continuous process of reproduction of human resources meeting the requirements of the labor market to some extent impedes the development of different sectors of the economy. Therefore, employers currently impose requirements on education in order to provide the labor market with human resources possessing appropriate professional skills.
In order to provide an effective environment for a real increase in competitiveness and skills of workforce in the Ural Federal District, the Regional Association of Employers “Sverdlovsk Regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs” in cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce of the Urals Region established the Urals Regional Agency of Skills Development as a backbone organization for building a regional system of skills development. In order to investigate the conditions for the implementation of this project more deeply, the Committee for Professional Education Development of the Sverdlovsk Regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs conducted a few surveys in 2011.
The surveys involved businesses and organizations who are members of the Sverdlovsk Regional Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (more than 70 respondents). 96% of these are engaged in manufacturing. The survey was focused on this sector because innovative economic development involves improving the high technology manufacturing sectors and infrastructure, and upgrading the conventional sector of the economy. Presently, manufacturing businesses have significant capabilities for innovation but cannot realize them due to insufficient quantity, quality, and in some cases lack of professionals possessing knowledge of the latest developments and technology. The key issue relating to
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the quality of the workforce is that training fails to meet the demands of employers: (a) by activity; (b) by the number of people trained in certain professions; and (c) by changing requirements for professions. Therefore, only 13% of respondents are satisfied with the quality of education of their staff. During the survey, respondents indicated the reasons for the poor quality of education of specialists: 37% cited a lack of a professional guidance system for young people; 24% noted that education institutions do not engage enough practitioners as teachers; and 22% pointed out that the learning process does not provide enough field experience.
The basis of the problem with human resources is that there are no uniform requirements for professional knowledge and skills of specialists. Currently, whether a job applicant is suitable for a vacant position or not is decided on the basis of a company-specific job description or results of a test or interview which may be biased and provide an incomplete idea of the applicant's professional skills. It is impossible to evaluate personnel, set priorities for training programs or make career plans for an employee without having common requirements for professional skills and knowledge in place. This problem can be solved by creating a system of professional standards to list necessary knowledge, skills and competencies of a modern professional. In order to identify the most typical requirements for a profession, it is necessary that the development of professional standards be contributed to by a wide enough range of expert employers who can identify the most critical requirements in terms of quality, safety and efficiency of work. Business-specific groups of employers should develop and update professional standards on a continuous basis. This will require institutionalizing the process, i.e. building a body of industry professionals dealing with the classification of professions, development of professional standards, and updating of lists of professions and liaisons with education. The surveys have shown that 66% of respondents are generally ready to develop and update professional standards.
Employers are becoming increasingly aware that the promotion of a national qualifications system, collaboration with education to build a system for the evaluation of skills of employees and graduates, public-private partnerships in the development of the professional education system, and other areas of cooperation are not only an important social goal, but also prerequisites for the development of the innovative economy. Integration between business and education in the development and implementation of approved professional standards is still in its infancy and is not always complete, which can be explained by a number of reasons. 27% of respondents cite a poor regulatory and methodological framework, and 25% note a lack of specialists contributing to the development of professional standards.
Professional communities of employers use the requirements of professional standards to create a staff certification system which involves identification and confirmation of employees' skills and issuance of competence certificates. This system allows for assessing the staff’s competence against professional standards and confirming that human resources are prepared for the implementation and pursuit of the goals and strategies of organizations. When hiring a certified professional, an employer has the guarantee of his or her competence.
The role of communities of employers in the development of the certification system is worth a special mention. The development of the system is virtually
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impossible without their awareness of the need for improving the quality of workers and specialists and without their support. The survey has shown that 63% of respondents are already ready to undergo evaluation and certification of professional qualifications.
Developing a regional system of skills development is a rather complex and important task which contributes to the development of a new image of professional education in Russia. This work should involve active collaboration between the government, business, education, science and civil society institutions. We can assume that over time employers' associations and certification centers will play an important role in evaluating performance in the education system. This will largely remove the current barrier of mistrust between education and business when it comes to the quality of education of graduates and recognition of diplomas which they bring to the labor market. This is an important and promising role that the new system for assessing the quality of education of human resources will play as part of the overall strategy for developing professional education and building an effective human resources policy in Russia. The results obtained will contribute to building a Russian national qualifications system according to international requirements.
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