Abstract:

Nowadays, the design technology education model often no longer reflects the needs of the industry. Design students join interdisciplinary teams tasked with solving larger, more complex design technology problems. The need to solve multifaceted and complex problems determines the demand for new skills and attitudes, professional knowledge and competences for life in modern society, necessary for the performance of basic tasks and duties of professional activity, creating innovative and competitive products and services in the world created by global technologies. How should learning in higher education of design technology best meet the challenges of the many changes in society and employment?

The research problem is related to the 21st century challenges for the future of design, which forces a change in the understanding of design education, as it changes, emphasizing the need for a revised educational approach. The paper focuses on the fashion design technology sector, the resulting area obtained from the intersection between fashion design and digital technologies. An important aspect of the professional development of design technology students is manufacturing internship. A close and continuous relationship with companies is essential. Experience shows the advantages of a collaborative approach with industry in higher education, ensuring the development of more qualified professionals. Such an integrated approach is important in the models of the designer's professional competence structure and the experience of its successful implementation in education for achieving study results.

The purpose of the article is to study the competences set out in the professional standards, the needs of the industry and their compliance in the content of design technology study programs in Latvia and to analyse the development of the professional competence of design technology students in manufacturing internship.

Research methods: theoretical - literature analysis, analysis of design technology study program content, professional standards and industry needs, empirical - interviews with industry experts on the compliance of design students' professional competence with industry and 21st century requirements. The article examines the data obtained in expert interviews and documentary research, analysing the updated professional standards in the period 2021-2022, the results of surveying design students on the development of professional competence in manufacturing internship.

The results of the study confirm the need to pay attention to changes in design technology education, in cooperation with industry to follow the choice of study content and teaching methods in design technology studies, in order to promote the development of students' professional competence and its compliance with the requirements of the labour market.

Keywords:

Curriculum, Competence, Design, Industry, Internship, Technologies.