CORRELATION OF ACADEMIC AND VOCATIONAL TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY (USING THE EXAMPLE OF MARITIME EDUCATION)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of correlation of vocational and academic approaches in providing maritime education and training. The aim of the article is to analyze the processes of globalization in the system of higher education using the example of maritime education. Education and training can be the instrument of social changes to maintain status quo in the society. Any kind of education should be considered in the context of society and be evaluated depending on its influence onto an individual in terms of its personal development in future. Alongside with legislation and market, education is the key factor for social changes. Traditionally education and training of seafarers was focused on obtaining and practical utilization of practical skills and competencies required to efficiently perform duties onboard the ship. Modern worldwide trend of higher education, including maritime education, is to combine academic education with vocational training. It is so due to growing demand of modern youth for getting higher education on the one hand, on the other – saturation of modern vessels with state-of-the-art modern electronic, electric and mechanical equipment. The reason for emerging such a trend is social and economic development of countries and innovation technologies entering everyday professional routine of a seafarer. Analysis of this new trend implementation in different countries of the world is given here. Special emphasis is paid to the problem of correlation of training for practical skills and abilities to critical thinking in the context of competency based and result-oriented approaches of modern education. Combination of vocational competences and empiric skills to think critically and analyze in maritime education and training is the main problem of maritime education in the 21st century. There was found out irrelevance between national educational standards and requirements defined by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. There was made a conclusion that the difference between academic and vocational education is becoming more and more indistinct due to social, economic and technological factors. Maritime higher educational institutions have designed multileveled education alongside with constant certified refresher training. All these measures correspond to general educational trend of the 21st century – life-long education and training.