Summary: The article discusses professional education as a structural element of professional orientation of students of educational institutions in Ukraine. The article reveals the essence, purpose and importance of professional education as a core component in professional orientation with pupils of high school. The author pays attention to organizational aspects of work with young students in professional education in the conditions of the educational process.
Keywords: professional education, professional information, professional advocacy, professional promotion, vocational guidance.
Pedagogical sciences
УДК 377 : 331. 548 (477)
Ananko T. V.
postgraduate student of the Department of social pedagogy
Chernihiv National Pedagogical
University named after T. G. Shevchenko
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND ITS PLACE IN VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE OF STUDENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UKRAINE
Summary: The article discusses professional education as a structural element of professional orientation of students of educational institutions in Ukraine. The article reveals the essence, purpose and importance of professional education as a core component in professional orientation with pupils of high school. The author pays attention to organizational aspects of work with young students in professional education in the conditions of the educational process.
Keywords: professional education, professional information, professional advocacy, professional promotion, vocational guidance.
Statement of the problem. The choice of profession is one of the major life choices which students make in high school. It has importance both for the students and for society.
Changes of the labour market are placing new demands as for vocational guidance of high school students, especially as for professional education of students in Ukraine. The current unstable socio-economic situation and the corresponding changes of the labour market contribute early professional self-determination of youth. In these circumstances the awareness of high school students as for future professional direction must occur before the end of the school.
That is why the problem of choice and preparation of high school students to a professional activity at the present stage of development is very important. Effective preparation of students for conscious career choices is impossible without vocational education. The importance of this component from the social point of view is expanding the range of free choice of profession, more students begin to know more about the different types of production and professions, labour conditions, where to learn this or that specialty, thanks to it the choice will be more realized.
Analysis of recent researches and publications. The scientific basis of professional work with students of secondary schools was developed by P.P. Blonsky, A.S. Makarenko, V.A. Sukhomlinsky, S.T. Shatsky.
Problems of professional education of students in general secondary education were studied by such scholars: D.O. Zakatnov; M.M. Zakharov, E.A. Klimov, E.M. Pavliutenkov, K.K. Platonov, A.D. Sazonova, M.P. Timenko, B.O. Fedoryshyn, S.M. Chistyakova.
L.G. Avdeev noted that professional education is one of the components of career guidance, the essence of which is to provide various categories of the population (primarily students) with a certain set of knowledge, which allows the individuality to make conscious decision of professional self-determination, formation and development [1, p. 33].
Analyzing the process of professional education we can note that numerous studies show that young students, who are leaving school, are facing such pressing problems: don't know anything about the profession, the labor market in a general sense, and in the region, in particular, not aware of their own resources and capabilities, about the correspondence between preferences and abilities, no skills in planning career and professional growth.
“The result of the low level of awareness of students about the world of professions is not prepared for getting the necessary professional information. Students unfamiliar with job descriptions, a classification system of the types of occupations, the conditions of correct choice of future profession, do not realize its importance, what factors are affecting the choice, flippant attitude and motives of the choice. Secondary school students are not able to identify their own dominant abilities, interests, they are not ready to implement an evidence-based professional selection” [2, p. 54].
However, sociological research shows that professional education is only partially determined by the content of the professional activity. Students are oriented to a social situation more than to the profession, therefore, the social orientation of school leavers is formed much earlier than their professional orientation. “They are poorly informed about the contents of the future profession, but they realize that it can provide life benefits, privileges, and material well-being. Social orientation is increased in the period of market transformations” [6, p. 54]. The number of those who wants to receive economic, financial, legal education is dramatically increased, all these types of education provide an opportunity to be the leader, financially independent, to occupy a high social position in society. Modern young people are not attracted to manual labor, industry, which are required secondary and higher special education.
High school students receive knowledge of jobs not only in a General school. Sources of knowledge are media, friends, relatives. Sometimes the information about the content of occupations and its significance can be given in an insufficient quantity; as a result, high school students can get unjustified idea as for the prestige of one and the poor public image of other professions.
Formulation of purposes of the article (statement of purpose): to describe the nature and place of vocational education in career-oriented work with young students of secondary educational establishments in Ukraine.
Accordingly, the objectives of the study: to highlight the key elements of professional orientation work with pupils of high school as for vocational education, to define the priority of professional education in career-oriented work with high school students, to describe the main areas of work with young students in professional education in the conditions of the educational process in secondary educational establishments in Ukraine.
The main material of the study. Professional orientation is considered as a multidimensional integral structure, consisting of interacting components or subsystems, which are united by common purpose and command.
It is aimed at familiarization with the situation in the field of demand and supply in the labour market; the acquisition of knowledge about the socio-economic and psycho-physiological characteristics of different professions, about the conditions of the correct choice; a positive attitude of students to various professional and social activities, formation of motive professional intentions.
“An important component of the system of professional orientation of students is a professional education – informing high school students about different occupations, their importance for the national economy, the staffing requirements, working conditions, requirements of psycho-physiological qualities of students, methods and ways of obtaining them, wages” [2, p. 53].
Professional education is a kind of system of formation of ideas of young people, concepts and knowledge about the social economic, psychological and physiological conditions of correct choice of profession, educational positive students ' attitude towards various activities, the formation of motivation of the most professional intentions, taking into consideration the desires and capabilities of young people and the needs of the labour market [10, p. 125].
Effectively preparing of students is impossible for conscious career choices without vocational education. The importance of this component from the social
point of view is that it expands the range of freedom of choice of occupation: the secondary school students know more about different industries and occupations, about working conditions, where to learn this or that specialty, so thanks to it their choice will be more informed.
The aim of professional education is the creation of real ideas about the world of professions in general, awareness of the content and qualitative characteristics of the main occupations, job functions and working conditions in particular occupations, forms of moral and material incentives and remuneration in terms of this stage of social economic development of society [9, p. 40].
Educational work with students of high school should be aimed at forming a positive attitude to work and teach how to deal with any unfamiliar professions, to see things first, to understand the object and purpose, tools and working conditions, to match the requirements of the profession with individual characteristics.
“Professional education involves providing students with a certain set of knowledge about the characteristics of different professions, the conditions of the correct choice, fostering positive attitude of youth to various types of professional, social activity, motivated formation of professional intentions, promoting the knowledge of students about the psychological, medical psychological, psychological-physiological, social pedagogical and other aspects of existing professions”[7, p. 38].
The main objectives of professional education are:
- establishment an informational basis for understanding information about the world of profession by high school students;
- familiarizing young students as for the ways of professional training in the country and the conditions of learning specific professions;
- forming a positive attitude to professions and professional activities, particularly those for which social economic development of society demands are updated;
- influence upon the formation of sustainable professional interests of students and properly motivated professional intentions, which are based on the awareness of the psychological and physiological possibilities of the person and social economic needs of the society. [9, p. 41].
Debates are effective forms of vocational education in high school. They can be arranged with the students of one or several parallel forms or in general. Teachers must have skillful and tactful leadership in the debate, to direct the thoughts of students so that they can come to the correct conclusion themselves.
In high school vocational education should be directed at expanding the knowledge of students about the professions they can learn after leaving school. An important place in profession informative materials for students in high school should be information about the distribution of occupations in different types of professional education institutions, possibilities of continuing education after high school. At this stage it is important to teach students to understand properly the features of any profession and to make informed conclusions deliberately [9, p. 42].
Professional education includes professional information, professional advocacy, and professional campaigning. These elements are also interconnected. This means that in the educational process of students of high school on the stage of graduating from secondary educational institutions should be formed the active position of choice of the profession. Their goal is providing students with a certain range of data about the most common professions, information about methods and terms of mastering them, the promotion of the
public importance of occupations which are currently in dire need of the society. Tasks of professional information, professional advocacy and professional promotion are providing objective career guidance.
Professional information is a system of measures for the accumulation and dissemination of information about the content and prospects of modern professions and the requirements for the person, wishing to get them; the forms and conditions of mastering different professions, opportunities for professional growth; the condition and needs of the labour market; formation of professional interests, intentions and motivation of students [9, p. 34].
Professional information provides familiarizing of high school students with the content and prospects of development of the professions, the forms and conditions of their production, the labour market needs, requirements of occupations and opportunities for professional development.
K. Platonov considers professional propaganda as a procedure, aimed at attracting young people's attention to those necessary professions that are most in demand in today's labor market and the formation of her interests and inclinations to such professions [8, p. 121].
It is also important when propaganda has profound, powerful emotional impact, raises the prestige of the unpopular occupations among high school students (service sector, communal services, light and food industries, and some agricultural specialities).
You can only note some areas of professional propaganda. First of all it is the cultivation of interest as for any kind of activity, first acquaintance with simple professions, and then with more complex ones, depending on the age and knowledge of seniors, taking into the consideration the needs of society and the country as a whole.
Professional propaganda is a tool of pedagogical influence on the consciousness and mood of students and their parents with the aim of a conscious and justified choice of profession and preparation for it [9, p. 40].
Professional campaign is aimed at attracting the choice of profession of students in the high school, informing them about specific professions, familiarizing students with the structure and context of a particular professional activity. So, professional agitation should actively influence students' choice of the professions our society needs.
Part of the professional education is professional propaganda, and the main forms of its implementation - meetings with representatives of various professions, lectures on the different branches of production. Much of the work is a conversation of the teachers, social workers or representatives of various professions. The topics of conversations have to answer the age-old features of students and cover a range of issues of students` interests [4, p. 115].
To have positive results, the work should be done skillfully and with great pedagogical tact. The main principle is connection with life. Accordingly we can highlight “the main directions of the work of professional education:
- formation of a holistic, multifaceted view of high school students about the industry, company, profession;
- considering the direction in the development of the industries of this region, established work habits, availability of secondary and vocational schools;
- professional education of students should be based on real needs in specific occupations;
- familiarization with the world of professions should closely align with students` professional interests, inclinations and abilities of students and dynamics of their development. The content of vocational education must take into account the composition of students by age, gender” [3, p. 109].
In high school vocational education is directed to the expansion of knowledge of students about the professions they can acquire after finishing education. An important thing for students in high school is taking information about the distribution of occupations in different types of schools, about the possibilities of continuing education after high school. To obtain this information, the secondary students are assigned not only to the school, but also they show greater independence. Therefore, at this stage it is important to teach them how to understand the characteristics of professions and consciously make their own informed conclusions.
Accordingly, when we work with pupils of high school, we should pay attention to the familiarizing students with the educational institutions where they can get the profession, preparation of information stands, interviews with cool bands (evaluation and closing), conducting interactive lessons and games programs [5, p. 32].
A large role in professional education belongs to extracurricular activities: school clubs, visits enterprises, the movies and television programs, that give the opportunity to observe businesses and professions that are not in the district, region or city where the school is located, and to draw the learners ' attention to those features of work that are unaccounted during excursions.
In the process of conducting club activities there are opportunities to acquaint students with different professions. If the group leader determines that the student has the ability to one of the professions, he works with such student individually to deep his knowledge, skills, interest in the profession that he likes.
Conclusions and prospects for further research. Based on the above, it is possible to notice that during professional orientation work with pupils of senior schools we should pay attention to the professional education, professional self-determination of students, the identification and development of abilities, formation of motives of choice of profession, professional interests, moral and other qualities that are important for future employment.
Professional education has an important place in students` life and it contributes to the development of abilities, professional intentions of students, enhances their social and professional mobility.
However, vocational education of students requires further social pedagogical research for the optimal choice of technologies and search of new approaches in the implementation of this process. Currently in our country, in the context of rapid scientific, technological and social progress there is the problem of training and education of young students, capable of increasing material and technological progress to work for the maximum benefit of society, contributing to professional education of students and we should pay attention to the research of professional orientation of students.
Prospects for further research consist of educating high school students and their interest indifferent types of work, creating conditions for productive work and verifying in practice their abilities, the study, the formation and development of interests, aptitudes and abilities of students, familiarizing them with the most common professions and occupations which are responded to the conditions of modern scientific-informational space of Ukraine.
In this task, an important place belongs to professional skylight system of state, psychological-pedagogical and medical activities that help students to enter life, to choose the profession scientifically and consciously in accordance with their personal interests and abilities and taking into account the needs of society.
So, a deliberate choice of profession is one of the most important conditions for development of students, it gives young people the opportunity to display all their abilities. A properly chosen profession by secondary school students allows them to take their place in the occupational structure of society, with the greatest efficiency (material and moral), to apply their knowledge, skills and abilities.
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