PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR DEVELOPING DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE IT SPECIALISTS IN VOCATIONAL COLLEGES THROUGH STEAM TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

The article substantiates the pedagogical conditions for developing the digital competence of future IT specialists in professional colleges through STEAM technologies. It shows that the rapid digitalization of society, and the IT sector in particular, creates the need to train specialists capable of effectively applying digital tools, modeling technological processes, working with data, and creating innovative products. It is determined that digital competence has a multidimensional structure that includes cognitive, technological, communicative, project-based, artistic, and ethical components, whose development becomes possible through the targeted integration of STEAM technologies into professional training. The article reveals the content of five pedagogical conditions: motivational and value-based support of professional training; activation of independent learning activities through innovative forms and methods; integration of STEAM technologies into the curriculum to develop algorithmic, engineering, systemic, and design thinking; creation of a modern STEAM-oriented educational environment; implementation of a system for diagnostics, monitoring, and reflective–analytical support of digital competence development. It is proven that the implementation of these conditions ensures a practice- oriented character of learning, strengthens learners’ intellectual autonomy, promotes their ability for innovative activity and
professional mobility, enables the integration of engineering, IT, and design solutions, and ensures a high level of readiness for work in multidisciplinary teams. The conclusion highlights that the systemic integration of STEAM technologies into professional education forms