Features of Professional Competence Formation in Adolescents Aged 12–15 in Supplementary Education

Aim. To reveal the essence, identify the specific features, and propose a set of pedagogical tools for the formation of professional (vocational) competence in adolescents aged 12–15 within the framework of supplementary (non-formal) education.

Methodology. The study is grounded in competency-based and environmental (situational) pedagogical approaches. The research methodology combines theoretical methods (system analysis, pedagogical modelling and design) with empirical methods, including pedagogical observation, testing, questionnaire surveys, and statistical processing of collected empirical data.

Results. The study defines the essence, content structure, and specific characteristics of the formation of professional competence in adolescents in supplementary education. A pedagogical toolkit for developing this competence has been proposed. The career guidance potential of network interaction within the “supplementary education institution – university – industrial enterprise” model is described. The author’s original modular program “Practical Vocational Studies for Adolescents” has been developed and experimentally tested. The pilot pedagogical experiment recorded a positive dynamic in all components of professional competence among participating adolescents.

Research implications. The research clarifies the conceptual framework and structural components of professional competence in adolescents. The developed pedagogical tools can be readily implemented in the career guidance practices of supplementary education institutions, contributing to the modernization of vocational guidance in the Russian educational system.

Conclusions. The study identifies specific features of forming professional competence in adolescents in supplementary education, which can be summarized as a global paradigm shift from an information-providing model to an educational (activity-based) model of career guidance. The key pedagogical tools ensuring this transition are: (1) an integrative educational environment created through network interaction between educational institutions, universities, and industrial enterprises, enriched with events that allow adolescents to “live through”" professional roles “here and now,” and (2) the modular educational program “Practical Vocational Studies for Adolescents” The conducted experimental work confirms the effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical tools and provides a basis for scaling up the developed components across the supplementary education system.

1. Abashina, A. D. & Oparina, Ya. O. (2025). Labor Education in a Modern School: A Normative and Legal Approach. In: Concept, 12, 107–122 (in Russ.).

2. Antipova, O. V., Igdyrova, S. V. & Mukminov, R. R. (2019). Interaction of Organizations and Institutions of Additional, Secondary and Higher Education As a Pre-Profile Component of a Child’s Professionally Oriented Development. In: Problems of Modern Pedagogical Education, 64-3, 12–15 (in Russ.).

3. Afanasyev, V. V., Kunitsyna, S. M. & Nechaev, M. M., et al. (2019). Career Guidance System: Problems, Trends, Implementation Experience and Development Prospects. In: Innovative Projects and Programs in Education, 1, 6–16 (in Russ.).

4. Burmistrova, E. V., Dontsov D. A. & Dontsova, M. V., et al. (2015). Child Developmental Psychology: Infancy, Early Childhood, Preschool Childhood, Primary School Age, Adolescence. In: Bulletin of Practical Psychology of Education, 12, 2, 71–82 (in Russ.).

5. Dorozhkin, E. M. & Zeer, E. F. (2014). Scientific and Applied Foundations of Career Guidance: Theory and Practice. In: Siberian Psychological Journal, 52, 67–78 (in Russ.).

6. Evdokimova, V. E. & Ustinova, N. N. (2021). Supplementary General Education Program as an Example of Network Interaction of Educational Institutions. In: World of Science. Pedagogy and Psychology, 9 (5). URL: https://mir-nauki.com (accessed: 17.04.2026).

7. Zeer, E. F. (2005). Competency-Based Approach to Education. In: Education and Science, 3 (33), 27–40 (in Russ.).

8. Zimnyaya, I. A. (2012). Competence and Competence in the Context of the Competence-Based Approach in Education. In: Foreign Languages at School, 6, 2–10 (in Russ.).

9. Knyazev, M. A. (2025). Labor Education and Career Guidance in Modern Russia: Age Aspects, State Initiatives, and Educational Trends. In: Pedagogical Journal, 15, 1A, 38–45 (in Russ.).

10. Konshina, T. M., Pryazhnikov, N. S. & Sadovnikova, T. Yu. (2018). Personal Professional Prospects of Modern Russian Older Adolescents: Value-Semantic Aspect. In: Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 14. Psychology, 3, 37–59 (in Russ.).

11. Lebedeva, L. N. (2015). Psychological Characteristics of Adolescence. In: Theory and Practice of Modern Science, 3 (3), 207–213 (in Russ.).

12. Okladnikova, V. D. & Safonova, M. V. (2020). Features of Personal Self-Determination in Adolescence. In: Globus: Psychology and Pedagogy, 5 (40), 6–7 (in Russ.).

13. Sergeev, I. S. (2023). Educational Career Guidance and School Career Guidance: Coincidence in Space, Divergence in Meanings. In: Innovative Scientific Modern Academic Research Trajectory, 3 (15), 11–48 (in Russ.).

14. Khutorskoy, A. V. (2003). Key Competencies as a Component of Personality-Centered Education. In: Public Education, 2, 58–64 (in Russ.).

15. Yasvin, V. A. (2020). Environmental Design Technology in Education. In: Social and Political Research, 1 (6), 74–93 (in Russ.).

16. Yatskova, I. D. (2022). Museum Pedagogy in Supplementary Education as a Factor in the Success of Social Development and Professional Self-Determination of Children and Adolescents. In: Kazan Pedagogical Journal, 2 (151), 176–180 (in Russ.).

17. Yatskova, I. D. (2024). Professional Competence as a Performance Characteristic of Modern Career Guidance. In: World of Science. Pedagogy and Psychology, 12 (4). URL: https://mir-nauki.com (accessed: 17.04.2026) (in Russ.).