Continuing education as a condition for increasing specialists’ competitiveness in the labor market

Introduction. Continuing education is considered in the authorsʼ interpretation as a system that includes the requirements of the external environment, personal factors of learning motivation, learning outcomes and possibilities of their application by individuals in order to maintain their professional status and expand the opportunities for enhancing competitiveness in the labor market. Despite the existence of studies on this issue, the influence of further education on the competitiveness of specialists in todayʼs constantly changing socio-economic conditions remains relevant. The aim of the study is to substantiate the role of additional education in the professional development of specialists and increase their competitiveness in the labor market. Materials and Methods. Statistical data on continuous education, educational activities for vocational programs in Russia were used; secondary analysis of sociological research data was carried out; data of the authorʼs sociological research conducted among unemployed youth (2018), students studying in supplementary vocational education programs (2021), teachers of Penza State University (2021) are presented. Results. The authorsʼ structural model, reflecting continuing education from the position of an individual as a condition for increasing competitiveness in the labor market, is offered. The main indicators of supplementary education system in Russia are presented. The authorsʼ research has provided new data on the features of training, motives, goals and prospects of changes in professional sphere in the cross-section of different professional and age groups; the influence of additional education on competence changes after training has been revealed; it has been determined that it contributes to competitiveness improvement in the labor market, but is not the only factor determining it. The research supports the conclusion that continuing professional education allows individuals to maintain their professional status and acts as one of the factors that ensures the competitiveness of individuals on the labor market through obtaining new and furthering the existing knowledge, skills, and abilities. Discussion and Conclusion. The study of continuing education as a factor contributing to the competitiveness of specialists in the labor market provides important empirical results in order to adapt the system of supplementary education to the goals of the modern labor market. The materials of the article can be used by educational institutions for organizing an effective system of continuing education.