(2016) Science and education, 6, 71-75. Odessa.

Viktor Sedov,
trainee lecturer, Department of Physical and Mathematical Modelling,
South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky,
26, Staroportofrankivska Str., Odesa, Ukraine

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF A SOFTWARE ENGINEER UNDER CONDITIONS OF CHANGING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS

Currently, the economic sector connected with IT sphere is steadily developing, which determines the increasing demand for IT specialists capable to deal with changing labour market demands in this sphere. The latter has its specific character: high level of competition, especially among beginners; rapid changes of technologies; teamwork skills; good command of the English language, etc. It is the education system which should provide training of these specialists; thus, it has caused some changes in the approaches to the system of higher education standards. For the formation of the system of training competitive IT specialists who are in-demand at the labour market, it is important to define the concept of “professional competence of a software engineer”. The paper presents the review of the changes in the system of higher education standards; the significance of competence-based approach as a basis for the process of training software engineers has been determined. This approach is practice-oriented and provides the formation of competences required for the graduates’ successful work in the best way. The results of the review of psycho-pedagogical literature has made it possible to find out that different researchers define professional competence as a personal composite system and basis for professional development; individual characteristics of the level of specialist’s complying with professional requirements and a component of specialist’s expertise; the system of general competences of a contemporary personality. At the same time, in higher education standards professional competence is considered as a set of theoretical and practical knowledge, methods of work and working practices, which provide high-quality work performance. Therefore, professional competence is regarded as subject-specific, i.e. the competence that determines the specific character of educational programme and graduate’s qualification, individuality of every educational programme. Considering rapid changes of technologies and peculiarities of future software engineer’s work, inner motivation for efficient work and self-reflection are the basis for personality’s professional development, i.e. these two components provide the formation of professional competence, specialist’s personality becoming, creative professional activity. In our opinion, professional competence of a future software engineer is an integral characteristics of his/her personality including formed inner motives for choosing this specific kind of work and constant professional self-development, qualitative psycho-physiological changes and the formation of self-concept under the impact of professional activity, the certain level of development of specific (subject) competences in the profession.  

professional competence, professionalism, profession-related competence, profession-related competence of a software engineer, higher education standards.

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