EDUCATING COMPETITIVE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE MODERN WORLD

The paper deals with a problem of technical university graduates competitiveness. Authors suggest applying a four level approach to students’ competitiveness development – personal, qualification, competence and practical. It was proved that technical university undergraduates’ competitiveness might be realized only if educational and professional standards are relevant. Competencies and employment functions has been specified in consistency with learning activities, and exemplified by Chemistry 1.2 steering documents arranged for Agricultural Engineering 35.03.06 students.

Analyzing scientific, pedagogical sources and dissertation research works in education we realized that it is necessary to observe a technical university graduate competitiveness in its four aspects or levels. The first level is the level of personality where a future employee is being estimated by his/her potential employer through his/her individual ideas of employees, as soon as any good is bought if it meets buyers′ requirements. For this reason it is very important for a candidate to be able to give correct and reasonable answers during a job interview, and also be dressed appropriately and relevant to his profession.

The second level is a qualification one, where a candidate′s education and qualification documents are examined. A technical university student will be asked to present a university diploma and certificates he/she pursued during his/her university study, e.g. Yurga Institute of Technologies students who take up Agricultural Engineering as their major, graduate with a Bachelor in Engineering Degree and tractor driver/machine operator, fitter and FLT-driver certificates.

The third – competence- level is a level where graduates demonstrate professional competencies and personal qualities necessary to perform professional tasks they obtained at a technical university. Russian scholars has developed a range of techniques that allow evaluating professional competencies and personal qualities necessary to perform professional tasks , among them is the most, from our point of view, instructive method of Professor Valentin I. Andreyev who described top 10 qualities a competitive specialist should possess (clear values and goals, strong work ethic, creativity, ability to lifelong self-development and high quality professional performance).
state of individual performance.

The fourth level practical, and is a level of mastering employment functions. Article 15 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation defines employment functions as a professional performance in accordance with a staffing list, profession, qualification and a definite work/job a person performs. Employers evaluate their candidates’ employment functions within a probationary period. Employment functions are detailed in the most important regulating documents – professional standards. Since July 1, 2016 employers must apply to professional standards if qualification requirements are set by the Labour Code, Federal Acts and other regulatory documents. The main goal of professional standards is to upgrade employers requirements which were earlier stated in qualification guide books and do not anymore meet the requirements of modern production as some of the professions listed in those guide books have become obsolete against those of high demand, which are not in the list.