Digitalization of vocational education under crisis conditions

Abstract

The rapid development of technologies and their application in all branches of the economy calls for digitalization of education as a prerequisite of improving the quality of vocational training. Digital technologies in their turn allow to diversify the mode of training according to the needs arising under various circumstances. In some countries like Australia and Canada, online and blended learning are the only possibly form of training due to learners’ remotedness to schools. But as recent experience shows, introduction of online education was the only way out to sustain it under the conditions of the COVID-19 and now by the wartime and absence of access to educational facilities. In this was, the necessity of digitalization of education is constantly growing together with its increasing range of applicability. Now all production processes and processes of the service sector are under the influence of digital technologies, because modern machines are operated by computers. Modern military equipment is also digitally based and operated. Thus, working in modern industries and services requires a high level of digital literacy, which presents a challenge for the system of vocational education. Under modern conditions, irrespective of their positive or negative origin, vocational schools (VS) should be ready to train specialists for various spheres of industry capable of working with constantly changing digital technologies. This fact puts forwards certain requirements to digital literacy of both students and teachers, who have to cooperate through digital devices and software to attain the set educational goals. All these circumstances require the equal level of digital literacy of both teachers and students to provide educational institutions with the latest material base and digital resources.