HISTORICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF REFORMING VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN UKRAINE: FROM TRADITIONS TO MODERN TRANSFORMATIONS

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive historical and pedagogical analysis of the reform of vocational education in Ukraine in the context of socio-economic, political, and educational transformations. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to reinterpret the historical experience of vocational education development under the conditions of European integration, digital transformation, post-war recovery, and the modernisation of the national education system. Understanding the historical patterns of vocational education reform provides a scientific basis for ensuring continuity in educational policy, identifying sustainable development trends, and substantiating strategic directions for further modernisation. The aim of the study is to conduct a comprehensive historical and pedagogical analysis of vocational education reform in Ukraine, identify the main stages of its development, determine the historical and pedagogical foundations of the transformation of the vocational education system, and substantiate the current trends in its modernisation. The research methodology is based on a combination of historical-genetic, historical-comparative, structural-logical, analytical, synthetic, systematisation, generalisation, and periodisation methods, which enabled the authors to examine the evolution of vocational education and reveal the continuity of educational reforms. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive substantiation of the historical and pedagogical periodisation of vocational education reform in Ukraine, taking into account modern transformational processes, European integration priorities, and recent legislative changes. Four major stages in the development of vocational education are identified and characterised. The study reveals the relationship between historically established traditions of vocational training and the contemporary competency-based model of education. Particular attention is devoted to the influence of digitalisation, dual education, employer partnerships, European quality assurance mechanisms, and the implementation of the new Law of Ukraine "On Vocational Education" (2025), which establishes updated legal foundations for further development of the sector. The practical significance of the research consists in the possibility of applying its findings to the improvement of educational policy, legislative and methodological support for vocational education, the development of educational programmes and teaching materials, and the training of future education managers and vocational education teachers. The obtained results may also be used in the activities of vocational education institutions, institutions of postgraduate education, public authorities responsible for education, and in further historical and pedagogical research on the development of vocational education within the European educational area.