FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS’ PREPARATION FOR VOLUNTEERING IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF UKRAINE: CURRENT STATE

Abstract

Modern democratic society, which is currently experiencing systemic transformations, needs highly qualified specialists in all spheres of human life, in particular in the field of social work. Among the main priorities in the training of future social workers is the development of skills and abilities that will allow them to effectively interact in modern conditions, confidently respond to challenges and competently solve life situations. One of these areas, that requires involvement of highly qualified specialists as a condition for increasing efficiency, is volunteering. The purpose of the article is to highlight the current state of future social workers’ preparation for volunteering in higher education institutions of Ukraine. Implementation of the defined goal was carried out with the help of such theoretical research methods as analysis of scientific literature and educational and professional programs for the training of future social workers; systematization and generalization of views of Ukrainian scientists on the studied problem, etc. Analysis of the current state of future social workers’ preparation for volunteering in the system of higher education of Ukraine made it possible to single out a number of aspects that require further development and improvement. In particular, the problem of excessive theoretical training of future social workers in comparison with practical remains unsolved. The practical component plays a key role in the formation of professional skills of social workers, but its volume, as a rule, is insufficient to fully cover a wide range of practical skills. In this context, the examples of individual higher education institutions that attract higher education applicants-future social workers to volunteering as one of the priority areas of the higher education institution’s activities are indicative. It was revealed that there is a problem in ensuring a balance between the disciplines of the cycle of general and professional training. The university system needs versatility, however, to solve modern social problems, specialists with clear knowledge and practical experience in the field of social work are needed. To solve this problem, as evidenced by the experience of the analyzed higher education institutions, it is effective to introduce innovative interactive learning methods into the educational process of higher education institutions, which provide professional training of future social workers, which contributes to increasing their competitiveness, especially during career orientation events, in particular by attracting applicants’ attention not only to employment prospects, but also to the stimulating educational process.