NEW SYSTEM FOR QUALIFICATIONS EVALUATION: EXPERIENCE OF RUSSIA

Abstract

In Russia a new qualification evaluation system has entered into operation and professional standards are being introduced into practice. This new qualification evaluation system assumes an independent state estimation of employees to meet the required qualifications reflected in the professional standard. The professional standard is a normative legal act approved by the order of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Russia, and it reflects the requirements for education and the necessary competencies, knowledge and skills for performing each generalized labor function. There exist professional standards or they are being developed for all types of activities. At the present moment about one thousand professional standards have been developed in Russia. However, their introduction into the practical activities of enterprises and organizations was faced with a number of problems, both organizational and regulatory-legal nature. Also it is difficult to implement an independent evaluation of qualifications in Russia. One of the problems is the necessity to develop and approve the National qualifications framework as the basis for the professional standards development, and the development of the branch frameworks for qualifications. Abroad, significant experience has already been accumulated in the construction of national qualification evaluation systems. Until recently, Russia also had its own appropriation and evaluation system for qualifications. It has both positive and negative sides that must be taken into account when implementing a new system. The purpose of this article is to show the positive experience of developing national systems for qualifications evaluation, to characterize the features and problems of this system development in modern Russia and to suggest the ways to solve these problems.