Modeling advanced professional development for educators on the development of soft skills

The research problem and the rationale for its relevance. This article projects the topic of soft skills development into the system of additional professional education for pedagogical staff. Numerous publications confirm that it is possible to be competitive in the labor market and successful in life only with well-developed communicative, leadership, creative qualities, critical thinking, initiative, and purposefulness. These and other soft skills help to effectively perform work, advance in career, and self-actualization. It is important for teachers to develop them in themselves and in their students. The goal of the research is to design targeted advanced training for teaching staff in the area of soft skills using modern teaching methods. Methodology. The methodological platform of the research is a comparative analysis of information sources on the problem, classification and structuring of material, pedagogical modeling, research on the effectiveness of the model, online surveys, questionnaires, interviews. Results. The article analyzes the publications on the topic. A special professional development course aimed at improving soft skills is developed. Seven blocks are justified: theoretical, searching, analytical, reflective, diagnostic, instrumental, strategic. Interactive methods of training are singled out: work in small groups, discussions, Internet-surfing. Independent forms of work are emphasized: self-analysis, reflection, self-diagnostics, and construction of an individual developmental route. Lists of soft skills demanded by employers are ranked; their set is determined and grouped for teachers. The composition of the target methodical case is characterized. The effectiveness of the special course is investigated. The theoretical significance lies in the fact that on the basis of the research the blocks of the model of special course on the development of soft skills in teachers are constructed. Scientific novelty is represented by the characteristic of the modeling process of training on advanced training courses. The practical significance of the proposed author's model lies in the possibility of its use in the system of additional professional education. Conclusion. The high effectiveness of teachers' training on the development of soft skills has been proved.