Modern essence of the concept "competency" and "skill" (review on Russian and foreign research publications)

The article deals with evolution and current essence of the concept «competency» and «skills» on the base of Russian and foreign research reviews. Moreover, these changes are considered from two positions - researchers and practitioners. The review describes a new paradigm of education corresponding to the conditions of a post-industrial society. It is noted that with a change in objective realities, the main activity competence in the educational process is not the cognitive competence for a particular specialty, but the experience accumulated in the learning process, the volume and quality of which depends on the ability to analyze the situation and respond to the immediate challenges of real life. The educational system responds to new objective requirements by replacing the development of a narrow specialty with interdisciplinary learning, learning based on a comprehensive study of the phenomenon (phenomen on based learning), which forms the ability to creative thinking, as well as the development of metacognitive skills, that is, the ability not so much to apply the knowledge gained how much to create new knowledge through thinking, communication and self-reflection. Requirements for qualifications (a list of acquired knowledge and skills) are replaced by requirements for competence as the ability to make the right decisions in dynamic processes, organize the work of others or work in a team. It is noted that the concept «competency» accepted in European Council at the end of the last century calls for rethinking due to new reality. The analysis of the term use for naming «XXI century skills», «hard/soft skills», «universal actions», «competency», «literacy», «skill» is described.