Competency-based Education of Engineers-Innovators

The article considers general principles for the development of competency building approach in vocational education. The authors state the importance of competency building approach in engineering education at the present stage of market relations proceeding from the position of American sociologist and economist Schumpeter, according to whom innovations in mass commodity production involve constant updating of models and the range of products. From this position, it follows that dynamic innovation in production is only possible with two factors, operating simultaneously: intertwining of science and production and involvement of experts, able to carry out the transfer of scientific production into consumable products. This type of production requires analytical engineers with both formal (mathematical) and analytical (dialectical) thinking, who are able to bring together the accurate manufacturing technology and heuristics. The authors call this new type of engineers “engineer-innovators”. Sociologists agree that the high-quality training of engineers-innovators should be carried out on the basis of competency building approach, but have not been able yet to create the functional structure of the competency-based training for engineers-innovators. The results of the expert survey enabled the authors to perform a statistical factor analysis and build the optimal structure (content) of competency-based training for engineers-innovators in institutions of higher education and courses of advanced studies. Structural indicators identified by the authors through factor analysis can be used when creating textbooks for competency-based training at the engineering departments of universities and centers for professional development of specialists working in the field of innovative production.