As part of the XI International Congress-Exhibition “Global Education - Education without Borders - 2017”, an expert discussion “From a professional standard to a professional exam” was held, organized by the National Agency for the Development of Qualifications. Participants - representatives of industry associations of employers, heads of educational organizations, educational researchers - discussed various aspects of the interaction of the National Qualifications System and the education system.
Opening the expert discussion, its moderator, First Deputy General Director of the National Agency for the Development of Qualifications Yulia Smirnova, recalled that orders of the Russian Ministry of Labor have approved more than 1 thousand 100 professional standards, more than 1 thousand qualifications, qualifications are assessed in 150 centers.
The education system, along with other sectors, must learn to apply professional standards, and not only the standards describing the teaching activity itself, but also, as it is called in the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation,” the activities of “other employees” of educational organizations. As an example, Yulia Smirnova cited a healthcare system in which, along with 20 professional standards directly related to the provision of medical care to the population and the circulation of medicines, 67 other standards are applied (welder, cook, accountant, HR specialist, etc.).
The value and demand for education in the eyes of people is high, and this is confirmed by sociological surveys. However, more than half of the respondents believe that there is no direct correlation between the level of education and professional achievements, or a person’s material well-being, said Oleg Chernozub, head of the monitoring research department of VTsIOM. At the same time, almost every third employer believes that modern education does not meet the needs of the labor market.
A university graduate is not fully prepared for work, noted Diana Mashtakaeva, Deputy Vice-Rector for Continuing Education of the Financial University under the Government of Russia and at the same time General Director of the Association “Council for Professional Qualifications of the Financial Market”. But this does not mean that it cannot be prepared. Bachelor's and master's students could master the disciplines of additional professional education: they would be taught them as part of the relevant programs. And then, at the stage of intermediate certification or state final certification, they would undergo an independent assessment of qualifications.
“The university prepares a specialist for the labor market, and the labor market assigns him a qualification upon completion of the educational program. This approach is already used at the Financial University,” emphasized Diana Mashtakaeva.
First Deputy General Director of the National Agency for the Development of Qualifications Yulia Smirnova spoke about approaches to employers’ assessment of educational programs. Article 96 of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” provides for three types of accreditation - international, public and professional-public, and the latter must be carried out by employers, their associations or organizations authorized by them.
At the moment, professional and public accreditation can be carried out by 76 organizations - this is exactly how many the Russian Ministry of Education and Science included in the list of accreditors. However, no one checked whether they represented employers, said Yulia Smirnova.
According to her, changes to Article 96 have already been prepared to clearly establish the status of professional qualifications councils as organizers of professional and public accreditation, this function is defined by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation. Vocational qualifications councils should themselves select accreditors for the types of professional activities assigned to the councils, checking that potential accreditors have the necessary expertise. It is important that accreditation takes place according to uniform requirements established by the National Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Professional Qualifications. Such requirements were approved on July 3 of this year.
The potential of the professional and public accreditation procedure is very high, stated Yulia Smirnova. It is already taken into account today when distributing the target numbers for admission to universities; in a number of subjects this is also taken into account when distributing the CCP for secondary vocational education. This accreditation is important for employers as an indicator of the quality of educational organizations where they could send their employees for advanced training or professional retraining. In turn, for an educational organization, the presence of such accreditation is an indicator of its success.
“One of the conditions for obtaining professional and public accreditation is the successful completion of the program’s graduates’ procedure for independent assessment of qualifications, and this approach has already begun to be applied in practice,” Yulia Smirnova emphasized in conclusion.
Maria Ivanova, Deputy Chairman of the SEC of the chemical and biotechnological complex, General Director of the Russian Union of Chemists, noted that the SEC formulate a request to the education system on behalf of employers, which is especially important for small and medium-sized businesses. “I have heard the question more than once: why do you conduct an independent assessment of qualifications if there is a state final certification? But these forms of assessment have different purposes. The GIA evaluates the entire learning process, and the NOC evaluates specific qualifications. At the same time, one employee may have a whole set of different qualifications,” she emphasized. The national qualifications system in our country is in the process of becoming, it is being created through the joint efforts of different stakeholders, so that employers, the education system and trade unions must hear each other and speak the same language.
Nadezhda Prokofieva, executive secretary of the SEC in construction, director of the Department of Vocational Education of the National Association of Builders (NOSTROY) noted that the National Qualifications System replaces the previous conservative system built on the basis of qualification reference books. Today there is a significant gap between the needs of the employer and the qualifications of personnel in construction, and it must be overcome.
An independent assessment is carried out for compliance not with the professional standard as a whole, but with specific qualifications. For example, in 2014, the professional standard “Plaster” appeared, several qualifications were separated from it, including “Specialist in the installation of self-leveling floors”, which is also considered a plasterer. Assessment tools are designed specifically for each qualification. It is important that nowhere is anyone trained to become a self-leveling floor installation specialist, but if a person has this qualification, he can go to a qualification assessment center, confirm it and get on the state register. Qualification and specialty recorded in the diploma of education are also different concepts. It is not clear what a graduate of a vocational college with a diploma of a master of dry construction can do, but if he has a specific qualification, the employer immediately understands where and with whom he can work.
According to Nadezhda Prokofieva, educational institutions can be partners with centers for independent assessment of qualifications - in particular, by providing them with sites for conducting exams. This is especially true for blue-collar professions - for example, to assess the qualifications of plasterers, testing grounds are needed, which are available in the relevant vocational colleges.
According to Fedor Dudyrev, director of the Center for Research of Secondary Vocational Education at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, over the past five years, a system has been built that makes it possible to reflect changes in professional standards in the educational standards of secondary vocational education. However, the development of the vocational training system in accordance with the requirements of the labor market is complicated by the fact that it is insufficiently funded. Since 2013, funding per student has been falling, and family investments in this education sector (paid tuition) are 3 times higher than business investments. In these conditions, it is difficult to respond to increasingly complex and changing “qualification challenges”.
Olga Klink, head of the Basic Personnel Training Center of the National Qualifications Development Agency, noted that professional standards as the main element of the National Qualifications System actively influence the education system, and this is natural. The peculiarity of Russian professional standards is that they are simultaneously applied in the education system and operate in the labor market. And abroad, professional standards are mandatory only for the education system.
According to Olga Klink, the path from the creation of a professional standard to its application in an educational organization can be shortened by using professional standards directly in the development of educational programs. Along with the Federal State Educational Standard, professional standards should be applied in the development of both an exemplary educational program and the main educational program of an educational organization. Relevant proposals have already been prepared as part of the work of the expert council on secondary vocational education of the State Duma Committee on Education and Science, and they will be considered in December.
Olga Klink noted that the implementation of professional standards requires serious staffing - first of all, advanced training of teaching staff in secondary vocational education and advanced vocational education. The National Agency for the Development of Qualifications has developed and agreed with the Ministry of Labor of Russia 21 programs for teachers of vocational education organizations, industrial training masters and mentors in production. Each program includes three modules: methodological, related to the implementation of professional standards, technological, and training to work in a digital educational environment. In the future, the composition of the modules will be expanded. 630 teachers have already completed training in these programs.
Professional and public accreditation of educational programs is one of the new areas of independent assessment of the quality of education in the Russian Federation. Its legal basis is defined in the Federal Law of December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”. Article 96 of this law for the first time regulates the issues of professional and public accreditation.
According to new legislative norms, professional and public accreditation of professional educational programs is recognition of the quality and level of training of graduates who have mastered such an educational program in a specific educational institution.
Professional and public accreditation can be carried out by employers and associations of employers in industries corresponding to the specifics of the educational program. When carrying out such accreditation, it is not the quality of the educational process as such that is assessed, but the quality of education, that is, the professional qualities of graduates of an educational institution.
The procedure for professional and public accreditation, its forms and methods of assessment are established by the employers conducting this procedure or an organization authorized by them. At the same time, professional and public accreditation must be open in nature, and information about the procedure for its implementation must be available.
Information on professional and public accreditation of an educational program is considered during state accreditation of educational organizations.
WHAT SHOULD BE ASSESSED during professional and public accreditation?
Firstly, how the components of the program - its content, design, technologies - influence the formation of certain professional competencies.
The following groups of indicators can also be assessed:
recognition of the graduate’s competency model by the labor market;
satisfaction with the training results of employers and graduates;
the demand for graduates in the regional (and/or federal) labor market;
program development strategy, compliance of the structure and content of the program with the needs of the labor market;
compliance of documents regulating the organization and implementation of the educational program with the graduate’s competency model;
educational and methodological materials, technologies and methods of educational activities, personnel, material, technical, financial and information resources of the program.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES of professional and public accreditation:
To provide an independent, objective assessment of the quality of graduates’ training in an accredited educational program based on indicators that are not taken into account during state accreditation, and based on an analysis of the demand for graduates on the labor market, compliance of their qualifications with the requirements of employers, professional standards, as well as identifying best practices and significant achievements of the educational institution.
FEATURES of professional and public accreditation:
Voluntariness of participation. An educational organization has the right to independently determine both the feasibility of undergoing professional and public accreditation and the list of programs applied for accreditation.
Multi-subjectivity of assessment. The accreditation commission and expert council for professional and public accreditation include representatives of employers, scientific circles, and public figures.
Focus on educational programs. Professional and public accreditation is aimed, first of all, at assessing the quality of individual programs by the professional community.
ADVANTAGES of professional and public accreditation:
An educational organization implementing educational programs that have passed professional and public accreditation will have the right to:
post information about the availability of professional and public accreditation on the official website, on information stands when announcing information about ongoing educational programs, including admission to study in the specified educational programs, as well as on educational publications of the organization (textbooks, teaching materials) on the relevant educational programs;
use the results of professional and public accreditation as a competitive advantage;
present the results of professional and public accreditation to state authorities and educational authorities when passing state accreditation procedures.
Employers get the opportunity to:
- to form a competency-based model of a graduate of an educational institution in accordance with business needs;
save money on training and retraining of personnel;
help eliminate personnel shortages;
place an order for the training of specialists with the qualifications required by the business.
TIMELINES AND COSTS for accreditation
The procedure for professional and public accreditation is carried out within 8-9 weeks and includes:
familiarization of the organization carrying out educational activities with the documents regulating the procedure for accreditation (1-2 weeks) before the start of the procedure;
self-examination of a professional educational program (up to 21 working days);
face-to-face audit of a professional educational program by members of an expert commission on the site of an educational institution, a meeting of members of the expert commission with graduates, employers, teachers and students of an educational organization (up to 3 days);
preparation of the expert commission's conclusion (3 weeks);
consideration of the conclusion of the expert commission by the educational organization, if necessary, sending objections and clarifications (1 week);
analysis of the expert commission’s conclusion and decision-making by the Accreditation Council (20 days).
1. Organizations carrying out educational activities can receive public accreditation in various Russian, foreign and international organizations.
2. Public accreditation means recognition of the level of activity of an organization carrying out educational activities that meets the criteria and requirements of Russian, foreign and international organizations. The procedure for conducting public accreditation, forms and methods of assessment during its implementation, as well as the rights granted to an accredited organization carrying out educational activities are established by the public organization that conducts public accreditation.
3. Employers, their associations, as well as organizations authorized by them have the right to carry out professional and public accreditation of basic professional educational programs, basic vocational training programs and (or) additional professional programs implemented by an organization carrying out educational activities.
4. Professional and public accreditation of basic professional educational programs, basic vocational training programs and (or) additional professional programs is recognition of the quality and level of training of graduates who have mastered such educational programs in a specific organization carrying out educational activities, meeting the requirements of professional standards and market requirements labor to specialists, workers and employees of the relevant profile.
(see text in the previous edition)
5. Based on the results of professional and public accreditation of basic professional educational programs, basic vocational training programs and (or) additional professional programs by organizations that carried out such accreditation, ratings of educational programs accredited by them may be formed, indicating the organizations implementing them and carrying out educational activities.
(see text in the previous edition)
6. The procedure for conducting professional and public accreditation of basic professional educational programs, basic vocational training programs and (or) additional professional programs, including forms and methods for assessing these educational programs during its implementation, rules for applying to organizations carrying out educational activities, carrying out the specified accreditation, in order to obtain it, the period for which such educational programs are accredited, the grounds for depriving organizations carrying out educational activities of professional and public accreditation of educational programs, as well as the rights granted to the organization carrying out educational activities implementing accredited educational programs, and ( or) for graduates who have completed such educational programs, are established by the organization that carries out the specified accreditation.
(see text in the previous edition)
7. Organizations that carry out public accreditation and professional-public accreditation ensure openness and accessibility of information about the conduct of the relevant accreditation and its results, including by posting this information on their official websites on the Internet.
Professional and public accreditation of educational programs is one of the new areas of independent assessment of the quality of education in the Russian Federation. Its legal basis is defined in the Federal Law of December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”. Article 96 of this law for the first time regulates the issues of professional and public accreditation.
According to new legislative standards, professional National and public accreditation of professional educational programs is recognition of the quality and level of training of graduates who have mastered such an educational program in a specific educational institution. Professional and public accreditation can be carried out by employers and associations of employers in industries corresponding to the specifics of the educational program. When carrying out such accreditation, the quality of education is assessed, namely the professional qualities of graduates of the educational institution.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES professionally and generally natural accreditation of educational programs:
1. Independent assessment and confirmation of the quality of educational programs by professional associations and communities.
2. Improving the quality of education and the quality of training of graduates whose competencies meet the requirements of the labor market.
3. Strengthening the competitiveness of accredited programs.
FEATURES of professional and public accreditation of educational programs:
1. Voluntariness of participation. An educational organization has the right to independently determine both the feasibility of undergoing professional and public accreditation and the list of programs applied for accreditation.
2. Multi-subjectivity of the assessment. The Accreditation Council and the Expert Commission for Professional and Public Accreditation include representatives of employers, academia, and public figures.
3. Focus on educational programs. Professional and public accreditation is aimed, first of all, at assessing the quality of individual programs by the professional community.
ADVANTAGES of professional and public accreditation of educational programs:
An educational organization implementing educational programs that have passed professional and public accreditation will have the right to:
1. Post information about the availability of professional and public accreditation on the official website, on information stands when announcing information about ongoing educational programs, including admission to study in the specified educational programs, as well as on educational publications of the organization (textbooks, teaching materials ) according to relevant educational programs.
2. Use the results of professional and public accreditation as a competitive advantage.
3. Present the results of professional and public accreditation to state authorities and education authorities when passing state accreditation procedures.
Employers get the opportunity to:
1. To form a competency model of a graduate of an educational institution in accordance with business needs.
2. Save money on training and retraining of personnel.
3. Contribute to eliminating the personnel shortage.
4. Place an order for the training of specialists with the qualifications required by the business.
PROCEDURE:
The procedure for professional and public accreditation of educational programs is carried out within 3-4 weeks and includes:
1. Submitting an Application to undergo the procedure of public and professional accreditation and concluding an Agreement.
2. Formation of a report on self-examination of the professional educational program.
3. Independent assessment of the quality of education by an Expert Commission.
4. Submission of the results of an independent assessment of the quality of education - expert reports on each educational program - to the Accreditation Council.
5. Making an accreditation decision by members of the Accreditation Council.
6. Issuance of accreditation certificates to an educational institution if members of the Accreditation Council make positive decisions on accreditation.
ACCREDITATION PROGRAMS
ACCREDITATION BOARD
DOCUMENTATION: