Teaching skills contest as an innovative form of training the expected-to-be teachers

The author examined in the paper the challenges of the teaching skill contests, the part they took in the framework of occupational training activities of the University. The author has substantiated the relevance of competitions in professional advancement of an expected-to-be expert, taking for instance participation of students of Blagoveshchensk State Teachers Training University in the Teaching Skill Contests (carried on since 2000 until 2014). The paper gave a description of the course of contestant preparation and the content of competing categories for an individual and team top ranking.