The pace of development of technology and the world presupposes quick adaptation to changes, the ability to react quickly and rebuild. This, in turn, requires a quick mastery of new knowledge, skills and abilities.. However, in the pursuit of quick solutions, we increasingly deviate from the essence. As a result, we get a distortion of reality in the form of fast food training in the form of courses offering to get a new specialty in three to six months. We have fast food reforms, when we are promised changes in the country in one or two years, but they never come.

On the contrary, what has been is destroyed, and the strategy and tactics of changes in all spheres of the country's life are eroded.. Hence the fashion for new faces, which appeared several years ago and still dominates, although random people, having received even insignificant power, make rash fast food decisions, introduce fast food management and build fast food careers..

Science, which should serve as a driver of the country's development, has turned into a dissertation and virtual one, exists mainly in numerous articles and dissertations that are unrecognized in the world, unsuitable for real practical application.. Stamping of candidates and doctors of sciences put on an uncontrolled conveyor. And even if the so-called scientific works formally meet the established requirements, they are in no way the basis for the further development of Ukraine and are not recognized by the international scientific community.. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are rare.. (For example, the Ukrainian surgeon, oncologist, doctor of medical sciences, professor from Dnipro Igor Bondarenko was included in the International rating of the most cited scientists in the world, which made it possible to include Ukraine in the world rating of innovative countries.

Why the acquisition of fundamental knowledge gave way to the development of skills and abilities? How did it happen that vocational education ceased to be one of the main conditions for obtaining a particular position What is the reason for the imposition of numerous ratings of global skills of the future on us and what does this lead to What lies at the heart of simplifying the world, both in learning formats and in duration? Why does the profession cease to serve as the basis of professionalism in a particular area, with the exception of science-intensive and complex specialties?

Pre-technological collapse of vocational education and labor market in Ukraine.

If we look into the historical context, we can unequivocally state that the turning point in the formation of deprofessionalization (departure from professionalism towards non-professionalism) in our country did not occur at all with the victory of new technologies and the Internet.. Back in the early 90s of the last century (after the collapse of the Soviet Union), mass unemployment began, the existing education and work experience ceased to play a decisive role in getting a job and a decent salary for it.. It was then that the need arose for new professions, while the previously obtained specialties, scientific, academic titles and work experience began to be leveled.

Already by 2000, an approximate idea of \u200b\u200bnew professions was formed, which society badly needed. This led to a fashion for lawyers, economists, managers and, conversely, began to devalue engineers, designers, developers.. The demand for skilled workers such as welders, locksmiths, plumbers, etc. has dropped significantly. The need for new specialists determined the time and changes taking place in Ukraine and the world: the country had to build a new type of economy and move away from the planned. Which, however, did not mean that one should completely forget about planning the labor market for the future.. But forgot. Lists of the most demanded professions appeared, but they met the situational need for certain specialists and by no means prepared professionals who would be required in the future 20-30 years.

When the lists of new specialties for universities were formed, no one tried to answer the question of what professions and specialists the national economy of the country would need, not only in the mid-1990s and 2000s, but also in the 2010-2030s.? Education and work experience are no longer a factor in building a professional career. The ability to adapt and build connections came to the fore. As a result, the labor market and the market for educational services became disharmonized, developing chaotically by itself.. New specialties were required, but no one planned them based on the state development strategy for 10-20-30 years ahead. In addition, we have thoughtlessly lost the niche of secondary vocational education.. As a consequence, now we are in dire need of highly qualified workers.. A high-level welder or turner in the labor market is more in demand and higher paid than mid-level office workers.

Another factor was and remains the fact that the specialties and the number of training places for each of them are planned in such a way as to ensure the load of the existing pedagogical collectives of the HEI. Unfortunately, this system is conservative and inflexible, it cannot react quickly to external changes.. The gap between traditional education and the required quantity and quality of the labor force is partially compensated by employers by creating corporate universities and training centers, as well as a system of short-term training programs (trainings, courses, seminars, etc.). ) and an internship system for youth. At the same time, the effectiveness of such a model is low both for employers (it is extremely difficult to find a motivated professional) and for a potential job seeker (the labor market cannot always offer a decent place of work at the place of residence, and remote work is not suitable for everyone).

Today, the situation on the labor market remains chaotic, despite all the reforms that have been resorted to by the current and previous government institutions of Ukraine.. None of them put and does not prioritize reforms in the sphere of labor relations, harmonization of the labor market and the market of educational services.. Despite the fact that it is productive and full employment that is the driving force behind economic development, and therefore - filling the budget.

For the Ukrainian government, the economy exists by itself, and the labor market is by itself, and not a priority. Therefore, the statement of the current government that our 40-year-olds and younger compatriots cannot count on compulsory state pension provision in the future, since the state has a long-term deficit of the pension fund, testifies to a very unprofessional and limited understanding of the situation..

And there should be a discussion that the search for a solution lies in the plane of increasing the number of jobs with high added value, and therefore large tax deductions.; stimulating and developing self-employment and entrepreneurship; creating conditions for the return of Ukrainian labor migrants to Ukraine, and not vice versa, in stimulating the departure of whole families. In the end, it is necessary to revise the migration policy of the state, and in particular to rethink approaches to regulating labor migration, both internal and external..

The main factors that reinforce deprofessionalization First, professionalism has ceased to be a measure of success. Work outside their specialty (55% of Ukrainians do not work in their specialty), the desire to make a quick career, to achieve quick success and quick high income is by no means in tune with professionalism. Since professionalism is honed by time, the intricacies of the profession are mastered for decades.. The point is not that professionalism is a tribute to the past, on the contrary - professions are dynamic and flexible, and real professionals are constantly in trend, monitor changes and improve their qualifications..

Secondly, there is a simplification of education, the pursuit of quick solutions has led to the need to quickly learn and retrain. This contributed to the rapid formation of the short-term education market, the quality of which usually raises many questions.. And the marketing of such courses positions them as an opportunity to quickly get a specialty, guaranteed to get a job and above the average wages in the market.. This approach is also situational, since it will take time and a number of training programs to deeply master the profession..

Third, education is no longer a prerequisite for getting a job.. Work experience, rather than professional education, has become decisive. If earlier in order to get a job it was necessary to master a specialty, now it is necessary to acquire competencies (basic knowledge, abilities, skills). Skills and skills became decisive. At the same time, skill is just skills worked out to automatism.. Being able to do something does not at all mean being a professional and knowing the depth of the profession, understanding its development in time and transformation in the future.. Acquisition of skills and abilities is a necessary toolkit, and not a deep and systemic understanding of the profession, which only high-quality professional education provides.. In addition, the list of the most requested skills also changes every 5-10 years and is not constant.. Accordingly, over time, you will have to master new skills and abilities..

Fourthly, education has ceased to fulfill an educational function, it has become more instrumental. The idea was formed that the main goal of getting an education was getting a job.. And if education does not provide an opportunity to get a job, then it is not needed. Education gives a general idea of \u200b\u200bthe world and the development of civilizations, forms a vision and understanding of the world in its various aspects. Short courses cannot fulfill this function. If education does not allow you to get a decent job, this does not always indicate its quality.. Quality education is determined by its compliance with the needs of the time (modernity). And the demand for certain specialists depends on the development of the economy (job creation) and the harmonization of the labor market and the market of educational services (forecasting and ordering according to the development of the economy).

Fifth, the education system is not harmonized with the labor market. The list of professions offered by the HEI is based on their understanding and the available teachers. No one predicts the needs of the labor market in the medium and long term. Training of specialists takes place in the perspective of 5-10 years, but by no means in the perspective of 20-25 years. Since this requires strategic planning for the development of the country and the economy, the labor market and the market for educational services, a radical rethinking, reformatting the education system and the existing teaching staff for the preparation of such programs and training on them.

Sixth, the inability to predict and model the development of the labor market led to its simplification due to the formation of the so-called most demanded professions and ratings of global skills of the future.. Of course, the development of technology affects the dynamics and flexibility of the labor market. There are always professions for which in a certain period of time the demand is higher, there are professions that disappear and which appear. However, the situational fashion for professions cannot be decisive.. Since it reflects only the temporary demand of the labor market in the period of maximum 5-10 years. Then there will be a new round of technological development and a new range of necessary professions will appear..

Each profession is in dynamic development and one way or another is constantly changing. Therefore, focusing on the situational need of the labor market does not at all guarantee demand in the labor market in the future.. On the other hand, no invention that radically changed the development of our civilization was predictable.. Therefore, the ratings are relevant in a short period of time, very conditional and highly overestimated..

Seventh, simplification as a trend of our time. Easy access to information and oversaturation of the information space, together with the inability to critically evaluate this or that information, form the illusion of awareness, which is by no means education. Unwillingness and inability to look at the root of the problem, to understand its depth form a simplified approach to everything. In particular, this contributed to the emergence of a number of "

In-depth scientific research on forecasting and modeling the labor market in our country is not carried out. That is why numerous “experts”, issuing the next rating of “global skills of the future until 2030” and “rating of 30 professions until 2030”, introduce such professions as coach-trainer, image-consultant, psychotherapist and fitness trainer into it.. In general, while not understanding how the industry and sectors of the economy of Ukraine and the world will develop in the medium and long term, not seeing Ukraine's place in the global world of the future.

How to be a professional in demand in the labor market, regardless of external changes?

Summing up, I want to note that the more difficult the job, the higher it is paid.. That is why planning or changing a career, as well as determining a future profession, should be approached systematically and thoughtfully and not be guided by temporary fashion - it is fleeting. Whether the specialty remains with you or not depends only on you.. And in conditions when the state is not able to form an effective policy in the field of labor relations, everyone should think about planning their own career, professional development and take full responsibility for their employment.. When planning your career and professional development, you should not only take into account changes and trends in the labor market (global, national and regional), but also look more broadly at the development of the state, economy and your profession..

Over the next 10-25 years, a considerable part of the work will be automated, robotic and performed by artificial intelligence.. However, not all. You need to focus on the specialties and functions that a person will perform. In addition, as noted above, each specialty is dynamic, so you should not expect when there will be changes in the profession - track them and constantly improve your skills.. This will allow you to meet the requirements of the time and build up your professionalism..

Professional education forms a paradigm, a fundamental and systemic vision and knowledge of the profession, and then - gives the depth of the subject, without which it is impossible to perform complex work. In addition, the dynamism of technology requires a very solid knowledge to be able to work with them.. When it comes not about servicing technologies, but about their development, design and architecture. The ability to work in an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of several directions and industries allows you to find new effective solutions.

The skills of learning, retraining and the ability to unlearn should be developed to master new fields of activity. This will allow you to learn new things throughout your life..

And also develop different types of thinking - meta-learning (teaching teaching methods), sequential, normative, critical, creative, reflective, intuitive and strategic; solving complex problems, which allows you to perform diverse functions. It is important not only to form your own brand as a professional, which is now very popular, but also to form professional expertise that is relevant to the time and needs of the labor market. This is the basis of the demand in the labor market, regardless of the changes taking place in it..

Read all articles by Zhanna Balabanyuk here.