MODERNIZATION OF VOCATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article examines the current issues of modernizing the system of professional pre-higher education in the context of socio-economic transformations, digitalization, and increasing demands for the quality of professional training. It is emphasized that professional pre-higher education plays a key role in shaping the state’s professional potential by ensuring the training of competitive specialists for various sectors of the economy. However, contemporary challenges—technological changes, migration processes, the shortage of teaching staff, and the need for flexible responses to labor market demands—necessitate a profound modernization of the educational process. The article analyzes the main problems in the development of institutions of professional pre-higher education, including insufficient integration of digital technologies into the learning process, limited funding, and uneven levels of material and technical support. It is emphasized that the modernization of the system should be based on updating the content of education, implementing innovative pedagogical technologies, expanding the opportunities of dual education, and promoting active cooperation with employers. The key directions of reform are highlighted: orientation toward a competence-based approach, development of digital educational platforms, professional development of teaching staff, and the creation of conditions for the academic mobility of students and educators. It is noted that the effectiveness of modernization is possible only under conditions of systematic change management, quality assurance in education, social partnership, and state support for professional pre-higher education institutions.

Special attention is paid to development prospects — the transition to integrated educational programs, the creation of regional educational clusters, the expansion of international cooperation, and the introduction of lifelong professional development practices. Thus, the modernization of professional pre-higher education has not only a technical but also a humanistic dimension, aimed at shaping a competent, responsible, and socially active specialist of the new generation.