Networking as a mode of continuing professional education

The study analyzes continuing professional education within the context of continuing education. The authors update the concept of continuing education and the methodological approaches to dealing with it. The research notes the main characteristics, tasks, facts, and trends that characterize the development of the continuing education system. The study identifies the aspects of continuing professional education, the characteristics of its learning environment, and the reasons for its demand on the education market. Its insufficient compliance with the needs of time has been revealed as well. Based on these points, networking is considered as a mode of continuing professional education. The authors express their opinion on the content, ways to create a network organizational structure, network management, networking players, their focus and activities, critical success factors, and possible network models such as a consortium or an educational cluster. Blended learning is regarded as an effective form of continuing professional education. The study discusses its technological and technical aspects, its integration with social networks, and modification and attraction of social resources. The research outlines the main indicators of the effectiveness and the performance measures of networking.