PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF SPECIALISTS AS IT IS UNDERSTOOD BY EMPLOYEES OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND STUDENTS

The paper studies the problem of professional competence and professional competencies as the basis for the successful performance of a specialist and the goal of a university graduate. Such concepts as “professional competence” and “professional competency” are defined, and the criteria for distinguishing these concepts are given. A short review of Russian and foreign literature which studies this problem is presented. Current scientific, methodological and practical issues of professional competence of specialists and graduates of higher educational institutions are considered with the emphasis on the role of vocational education in their development. The main scientific goal of the sociological research is to identify the degree and peculiarity of understanding the competence by university employees, teachers, and students.

The paper analyzes the results of the sociological study that characterizes understanding by university teachers and students of the competence and its role in improving the efficiency and quality of education. The results of self-assessment of the professional qualities performed by employees as respondents are analyzed. The research is aimed at studying public opinion and their understanding of the concept of professional competence, as well as its dependence on universities and higher education in general.

The main problem of the low level of professional competence is the ignorance of employees and students in the problem under consideration and, as a consequence, low interest in their development. The author specifies a number of professional competencies included in the research list. The list of literature includes works of the recent decade and presents researches carried out by the most authoritative and well-known scientists in the field of sociology of management, and psychology.