Pre-university component of lifelong education

The functional uncertainty connected with lack of uniform understanding of an essence of pre-university education, the purposes and problems of this component of multilevel continuous education causes contradictions in ensuring continuity between general education and vocational training. The research objective makes a solution of the problem of detection of intrinsic and substantial characteristics of pre-university education and search of adequate definition of this educational phenomenon. The solution of research tasks was provided with a complex complementary theoretical (the analysis of scientific, methodical literature on the studied problem, the comparative analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization, modeling) and empirical (studying and synthesis of standard and legal documents, the best pedagogical practices, method of expert evaluations) methods. As a result of a benchmarking it is revealed that now before pre-university education the new tasks caused by need of the through vertical integration providing the sequence, continuity of education, and the horizontal integration guaranteeing alternativeness, flexibility of preparation move forward. On the basis of the analysis of various contexts of a goal-setting, an initial conceptual position, the directions and mechanisms of design of pre-university educational space, the author has presented attempt to record an originality, ways of existence, the place and a role of this pedagogical phenomenon among others, to allocate that the general and special that characterizes pre-university education and allows to define him in the existing system of continuous education. Proposed regulations and conclusions create prerequisites for further studying of a phenomenon of pre-university education, and the presented practical experience of realization of integrative model of pre-university education "University lyceum" can be used at design of the educational space providing a continuity and continuity of education in other educational organizations.