Global trends in education: Russia case study

An improved system of Russian vocational education is seen as a major factor in the country’s economic development. It is currently recognized that the global labour market is emerging as a consequence of globalization processes, which significantly affect the establishment of national educational systems. The paper discusses global educational trends, with a particular focus on the tendencies in the demand for labour both in Russia and in the world. The paper aims to describe changes in attitudes towards the relevance of specialist qualifications and the sufficiency of professional competencies acquired through education. In addition, the analysis of structural changes in the Russian system of vocational education starting from 1990 to the present day is given. The research is carried out using the methods of comparative and statistical analysis. The competency maps of future are drawn (Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, the USA), including the description of trends that alter the habitual context for the labour force, as well as key skills needed for a successful career. The ‘Atlas of New Professions’ describing most promising professions in the field of education is reviewed. It is shown that the country’s role in the international division of labour can be used as an objective criterion to assess the performance of the country’s educational system. In this respect, the data on Russia’s position in the world rankings of competitiveness, innovation development and human development index, as well as the comparative data on the rate that Russian companies demonstrate in terms of innovative activity and technology exports are provided. The analysis of disproportions in the structure of graduates both in terms of levels and specialities of vocational education for the period 1990–2013 is given. Key problems faced by the Russian vocational education system are considered, including a weak focus on the actual needs of national economy and global changes in the labour market, a decline in the quality of training and the number of working specialities, as well as the low flexibility of educational programs.