Abstract:

The current stage of social development, the so-called VUCA times, has a significant impact on the paradigm of the formation of universal competencies of higher school students. The ability to respond quickly and adapt to constant change, dynamic collaboration, interactive feedback, self-control, empathy and social sensitivity, as well as flexibility, openness to innovation and the skill of universal communication are today the key qualities of effective professionals. The presented research aims to identify the severity of these characteristics among university students of different levels of education and to determine the tasks of modernizing educational programs, taking into account the requirements of the VUCA world. As one of the research methods, the authors used assessment testing, the tools of which were developed based on the concept of the VUCA competency model. The characteristics of the behavioral profile of each participant obtained as a result of testing were analyzed by methods of generalization, classification and comparison. It was found that, despite the fact that students belong to the generation of digital natives, most of them have well-developed communication skills, are ready for dynamic cooperation and have social sensitivity. At the same time, there are obvious problems with self-control, reaction speed and openness to innovation. Thus, the authors have established the directions for improving educational programs and building individual trajectories for the development of students, ensuring the formation of effective specialists at the stage of their professional development.

Keywords:

VUCA times, VUCA competency model, assessment testing, behavioral profile, educational programs.