Applicability of online professional education to the conditions of the Russian Arctic zone: the position of educational institutions

Abstract

Introduction. Ensuring the staffing needs of the economies of the Arctic regions is one of the main tasks of educational institutions of higher and secondary professional education located in the subjects of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the "AZ RF"). However, the labor markets of the regions of the AZ RF experience a staff shortage, and the local staff training system does not have sufficient capacity. The rapid development of information and communication technologies and the restriction on people's mobility due to the pandemic create the conditions for a more active use of distance learning in order to compensate for the acute staff shortage. In this regard, the issue of studying the possibilities of using the online form of training of professionals for the economies of the Arctic regions becomes relevant from the position of the educational institutions that are well acquainted with the educational process from the inside. Materials and methods. The information base of the study included the results of surveys of 362 educational institutions of higher education (hereinafter referred to as "HE") and secondary professional education (hereinafter referred to as "SPE") out of 397 ones located in regions that are territorially partially or completely part of the AZ RF. When processing the survey results, the methods of system analysis, descriptive statistics and comparative data analysis were used. Research results. About 70% of universities are in favor of the use of online education in professional training and about 65% of educational institutions of SPE are against it. The opinions of educational institutions of HE and SPE on a possible transition to distance learning in a number of specialties were similarly distributed: 60% – “for” and 65% – “against”, respectively. When answering the question about the readiness of employers of the AZ RF to hire specialists with a diploma of education in an online form, educational institutions of HE and SPE were unanimous: about 30% were in favor, about 45% were against, and 25% found it difficult to answer. Conclusion. The results of the surveys showed a diametrically opposite attitude of educational institutions of HE and SPE to the applicability of online technologies to professional training. Representatives of educational institutions of HE are optimistic about the possibility of switching to an online form of education, while representatives of educational institutions of SPE are extremely skeptical. This can be explained by the high requirements of educational standards for a developed infrastructure and sufficient number of material and technical resources in educational institutions of SPE necessary for practical training, which is virtually impossible with an online form of education.