DEVELOPMENT OF «SOFT SKILLS» IN HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS OF THE TRANSPORT SPECIALTY

Abstract

Transformational processes in Ukraine’s education system require a fundamental rethinking of teacher training approaches. One of the key conditions for effective professional self-realization is the mastery of «soft skills». Higher education institutions are transforming into centers of creative and research activity, tasked not only with preparing qualified specialists but also with fostering creative and critical thinking. Therefore, the development of soft skills in higher education has become increasingly important.

The specialty «Vocational Education (Transport)» at the T. H. Shevchenko National University «Chernihiv Collegium» prepares specialists with an integrated profile who combine technical competence in road transport with pedagogical training for teaching in vocational institutions, driver training, or engineering and technical work at motor transport enterprises. The development of soft skills in these students is a crucial factor for their successful employment and career growth.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the development of soft skills in the professional training of future specialists in the «Vocational Education (Transport)» profile. The methodological basis of the study comprises philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical theories that reveal conceptual approaches to the researched problem.

The scientific novelty lies in the first comprehensive examination of the targeted development of soft skills in future specialists of the integrated profile «Vocational Education (Transport)», whose training combines technical expertise in road transport with pedagogical preparation for teaching in vocational education institutions, driver training, or engineering-technical roles at motor transport enterprises.

Conclusions. Soft skills constitute a system-forming component of a teacher’s professional competence. They manifest themselves in all forms of pedagogical activity – organizing cooperative learning, designing and applying criteria-based assessment, and pedagogically appropriate conflict resolution. The development of soft skills is effective only under conditions of systematic organizational and pedagogical support. Key forms of such development include microteaching, facilitation sessions, analysis of pedagogical cases, and the creation of assessment materials.