Distance employment: realities and prospects based on the example of a regional university

Abstract

Subject. The article studies distance employment as an enforced solution during the period of self-isolation and as a prospective natural development of the virtual labour market. The study focuses on the university's activities concerning the training and retraining of highly qualified specialists with due account of the regional specific character of such activities. Objectives. To study the approaches to the study of categories, forms, characteristics, and the scope of distant employment in the context of the forced transition to it. To identify the distinctive features of training and employing workers with due account of university activities in the corresponding conditions. To determine the areas of activities of a regional university with a focus on the requirements of the distance labour market. Methods. The authors conducted a system analysis of the theoretical and practical aspects of distance employment with due consideration of factors that determine the prospects of its implementation in the future. The study used the results of opinion polls concerning the qualitative and quantitative parameters of distance employment. Results. Expert opinions about distance education and employment were structured and analysed. The authors determined the expectations, realities, and prospects of distance activities conducted by educational institutions. It was found that the possibility and the quality of distance employment largely depend on skills demanded by the labour market and developed by workers as a result of their participation in the activities of a system of specialised structural subdivisions at a regional university. The article provides an example of organising such a system at Voronezh State Technical University. Conclusions. Workers who were forced to switch to distance employment are dominated by specialists with a university degree who belong to the “digital” generation. There is a positive dynamic in the transition from regional distance employment to global. For a number of positions, employers see a tangible benefit of introducing distance employment. Therefore, in the future, this format will be used extensively. Experts characterised favourably the opportunity for specialists and participants of the system of education to practice their digital skills and the extensive development of digital professions. Among the negative outcomes they mentioned are possible physiological, social, and psychological consequences of the transition to distance employment and education. They warned that human resources, traditions, and specific features of the activities of regional universities can become secondary. In general, the activities of regional universities should be assessed as a vector for innovative regional development.