Pedagogical conditions for developing competitiveness of future economists in context of transformation of labor market and university educational process

In conditions of economic instability, the competitiveness of graduates becomes one of the key factors for their successful employment and career advancement. Educational institutions must reconsider their approaches to training specialists, ensuring not only the transmission of fundamental knowledge but also the development of soft skills that meet labor market demands. The need to develop and implement pedagogical conditions that will allow universities to not only adapt their educational programs to the requirements of the external environment but also purposefully foster the competitiveness of students. The problem of the research lies in the insufficient effectiveness of existing approaches to forming the competitiveness of future economists in the educational process of higher education institutions. The study aims to substantiate a set of pedagogical conditions that contribute to the formation of competitiveness among students in economic fields. The research employed methods of theoretical analysis, pedagogical experiment, testing, and mathematical data processing. The structure of the concept of “competitiveness of future economists” that includes motivational, cognitive, and operational components was clarified. It allowed to understand the process of competitiveness of future economists’ formation. Pedagogical conditions that facilitate the effective formation of competitiveness among future economists in the educational process of higher education institutions were substantiated. Mechanisms for interaction with employment centers and recruitment agencies were developed and integrated into the educational process. It enabled to consider current employer demands and integrate them into curricula. Thus, the research contributes to the development of theoretical and practical approaches to training competitive specialists in the field of economics, responding to the challenges of the modern labor market.