Forming competencies of future specialists in restaurant service in professional training

The tourism and hospitality industry is one of the modern and rapidly developing areas of the Russian economy. Restaurant service, acting as an important structural unit of inbound tourism, creates conditions for the integrated development of the region, representing its investment attractiveness. In this regard, the article examines the problem of training personnel for the hospitality industry and restaurant service in higher education based on the theoretical principles of the competency-based approach. The essence of this approach as a fundamental imperative for the formation of professional competencies of specialists in the field of industrial relations, including tourism and hospitality, is revealed from the perspective of domestic scientists. The relationship between the competence indicators of higher school graduates and the quality of education, focused on their continuous professional self-improvement in accordance with the requirements of employers, is substantiated. The article discusses the professional competencies and personal qualities of future specialists, correlated with leading activities in the field of restaurant service; the pedagogical conditions for the effectiveness of students’ professional development and their readiness for practice-oriented activities in the hospitality industry are identified and justified. Attention is focused on the inclusion of students in real situations at public catering establishments, as close as possible to professional activities using methods and technologies of interactive learning.