The general direction of modernization of modern education is based on the competence approach adopted in most countries. The implementation of such an approach presupposes a focus on a measurable specific result of education, and in the case of professional education - a transition to a multi-level system of formation and support of a full-fledged specialist, supplemented by a modernized system of postgraduate support and advanced training.

Moscow City Psychological and Pedagogical University (MGPPU)

Financial indicators (2011): revenues – 1.09 billion rubles, including budget financing – 862 million rubles. The amount of concluded state contracts (data from SPARK-Interfax, 2012) – 7.3 million rubles. 5,307 people are studying.

In this context, an important element of modernization, along with educational standards, is the standards of professional activity of education workers, which are intended to:

– development of systems for assessing the level of professionalism, motivation and incentives for personnel, development of job descriptions, creation of modern technologies for selection, recruitment and certification of personnel, etc.;

– creation of systems for assessing the qualifications and certification of employees, as well as graduates of vocational education institutions;

– formation of the state educational standard (SES) and programs for all levels of professional education;

– establishing uniform requirements for the content and quality of professional activity, coordinating job titles, streamlining specific types of work activity, etc.

Today, competency models are used to create professional standards and are seen as a mechanism linking human resource development with organizational strategy: they are a descriptive tool that identifies the skills, knowledge, personality traits, and behaviors needed to effectively perform work functions in an organization.

It should be noted that the professional standards being developed in Russia, including those in the adopted concept for education workers, are not mandatory for either business or the professional education system – they rather serve as a guide. This approach is ensured by the procedure for their creation and approval: development is carried out by associations of employers or individual employers; discussion and examination of draft standards are open; standards that have proven their effectiveness, developed by the business community, are recommended for use by professional education institutions. But such a model does not guarantee that educational training standards will not lag behind the demands of the labor market, as well as additional professional programs.

A professional standard can also be used to certify qualifications when assessing a specialist. A qualification is always the result of mastering an educational program and/or practical experience. In this case, professional standards can be used as a basis for developing control and measurement materials for assessing individual educational achievements. These materials are essentially an interface that sets the transition from professional standards to the diagnostic tools of the qualification exam in order to standardize assessment processes, i.e. to minimize the effect of subjective factors associated with the human component of the qualification exam.

Adjustable: From Standard to Exam