Abstract:

One of the most important and at the same time problematic components of the labor market is its youth segment, which reflects the main trends in the economy, education and labor market.
The employment of student youth is a crucial problem of the modern state youth policy, especially employment of young people with special needs. Therefore, we developed the project "Center for Employment and Professional Development of Youth with Special Needs", which won in the competition "Bank of Youth Initiatives", at the local level. In 2020, such a center was established on the basis of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University.
The purpose of the study is to theoretically substantiate the functional peculiarities of the Center for Employment and Professional Development of Youth with Special Needs in a higher education institution. Research methods: theoretical (systematic, normative-legal analysis of sources, content-analysis of documentation on employment of youth with special educational needs); empirical (quantitative - questionnaires, surveys; qualitative - conversation, structured interview to determine the need for the functioning of the Center for Employment and Professional Development of Youth with Special Needs). 38 participants - students with disabilities of bachelor's and master's degrees of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University - have been enrolled.
Results: the study highlights the activities of the Center for Employment and Professional Development of Youth with Special Needs, one of the areas of work - a counseling center for career guidance and employment, which can be contacted by students with special needs, graduate students.
Conclusions. The activities of the center contribute to: creation of a permanent counseling center on career guidance and employment of youth, youth with disabilities and graduate students; development of an information system for vocational guidance of young people, which provides the possibility of youth testing; formation of a database of vacancies and a database of graduate students; holding a “Fair of Professions” for young people with the participation of local authorities and entrepreneurs; organization of special training courses for unemployed youth, youth with disabilities and graduate students; conducting preparatory courses for employment of youth, youth with disabilities and graduate students for vacant positions; supervision of young people in the first place of work.

Keywords:

youth, youth with special needs, youth state policy, employment center, employment, counseling, courses.