Irina G. Bakanova

An increasing number of scientists and experts claim that humanity will face a radical change in the economic and social structure in the near future, a new type of specialists will be needed for the new economy. The article examines the paradigms of modern society, namely the situation of uncertainty, digitalization, automation, sustainable development and crises threatening society, including climate catastrophe and the risk of mankind extinction. These modern realities contribute to the formation of the VUCA world (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), which, in turn, require the development of certain competences. Effective work in a situation of uncertainty presupposes preadaptive development – the ability to forecast future crises and the ability to prepare for them. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered changes in many areas of life and work. Thus, the skills of remote work and digital communications have become the most popular. Today, the most priority competences are technical and digital ones. The fourth industrial revolution is changing the landscape of many professions and blurring the lines between the digital, physical and biological worlds. Digital society and computerization are not possible without sustainable development, which implies studying the Earth's ecosystem and understanding the role of Humankind in it. Regenerative approaches that seek to reduce the damage from human activity are becoming the most significant. Remaining a part of nature, the regenerative economy actualizes the competences necessary for successful functioning in modern conditions. The article focuses on the formation of not only technical, but also "soft" competences, namely the understanding of innovation, environmental literacy, critical thinking, analytical skills, teamwork skills, ability to negotiate and exert influence, emotional intelligence, communication, leadership. Undoubtedly, modern realities pose challenges to the education system and dictate the need to introduce new methods and approaches to teaching and training of teaching staff. The new role of the teacher requires the development of innovative approaches to educational activities for the greatest effectiveness. The teacher is increasingly acting as a good conductor of the educational process. Consequently, it is necessary to develop modern competences and "correct" thinking – a set of views, worldviews and habits in order to form the desired professional behavior among teachers.

The socio-economic forecast of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 determines the priority directions in the transformation of the system of secondary vocational education (SVE) as the main driver of production. The implementation of innovative and forced trends is complicated by a number of barriers associated with a shortage of highly qualified specialists according to world criteria. This study focuses on the challenges faced by the system of secondary vocational education, namely: the social and age characteristics of students in vocational education institutions, their weak motivation to get a high-quality education. On the other hand, the qualifications of the teaching staff necessary for the implementation of modern educational programs are of concern. In addition, the information age makes adjustments to the educational process, dictating the requirements for its transformation and training of specialists with modern competences. The purpose of this study is to provide a scientific and practical justification of the problems faced by the SVE system and to study possible scenarios for their solution, which will allow timely and adequate response to changes in external conditions both in the labor market and in the field of technology. The article is based on the use of the following methods: a theoretical review and analysis of domestic and foreign literature on the problem of research, pedagogical observation and generalization of teaching experience in the SPO system. Based on the analysis of scientific and pedagogical, socio-economic and methodological literature, it is revealed that a necessary condition for improving the quality of the learning process is the professional development of the teaching staff of the vocational school. It is concluded that practice-oriented training in the form of a dual system is the highest priority, allowing the integration of theoretical and practical skills, which makes the educational process more multifaceted and comprehensive. Summarizing the results of the study, we have found promising directions for improving the quality of professional training of students in the form of organizing a demonstration exam that allows an independent expert assessment, as well as participation in competitions of various levels, while participation in the WorldSkills International and WorldSkills Russia professional skills championships is the driver of tomorrow's competences.