TRAINING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOFT SKILLS IN FUTURE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

Summary. The article presents a theoretical analysis of training technologies as a tool for developing soft skills in future social work professionals. It examines the evolution of scientific approaches to defining soft skills and their significance for the professional activities of social workers amid sociocultural transformations. It is established that soft skills in this field possess not only a functional but also an axiological dimension, as they ensure the ability to engage in conscious client interaction and make ethical decisions.

The theoretical foundations for applying training technologies in professional education are identified, particularly their alignment with the competency-based paradigm and their potential to develop reflective and communicative abilities. The structural characteristics of training technologies influencing soft skills development are highlighted: stepwise organization, situational orientation of learning material, focus on the learner’s agency, enhancement of the reflective component, and integration of values.

The necessity of strengthening the theoretical elaboration of soft skills development in the social sphere is substantiated, given that existing studies demonstrate fragmented approaches and the absence of a unified model integrating psychological-pedagogical, communicative, and sociocultural components.

The article summarizes the main conceptual positions regarding the role of training technologies in soft skills development and outlines a theoretical model explaining the mechanisms through which training interactions influence the formation of professionally significant competencies.

It is concluded that a systematic theoretical understanding of training technologies opens opportunities for further development of methodologically coherent approaches to soft skills formation in future social work professionals, as well as for clarifying the conceptual framework and defining directions for applied research in this area.

Keywords: training technologies; soft skills; professional education; social work professionals; competency-based approach; professional competence; communicative abilities.