PRACTICE-ORIENTED ENGINEERING EDUCATION AS THE MAIN FACTOR OF FORMING COMPETENCES OF THE FUTURE PROFESSIONALS

The hypothesis that engineering graduates currently lack sufficient professional and universal competencies, considering Kazakhstan's stage of economic development, was supported by the results of an online survey conducted with business representatives. An online survey was conducted with employers who had hired graduates from technical universities in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Participants included 374 enterprise managers. The reliability of the study was validated with a Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of 0.87, well above the 0.7 threshold. A majority of the study's findings indicate satisfactory evaluations of the trained professionals. The formation level of professional competencies among university graduates during their initial year of employment is quantitatively assessed. In the sector of "Electricity, Gas, and Hot Water Supply," the average score stands at 4.38 points, while in "Mining - Extraction of Metal Ores and Non-Ferrous Metals," it is 3.93 points. In "Construction," the score is 3.8 points, and in the “Manufacturing - Metallurgical Industry," it is 3.68 points. Key qualitative professional attributes, encompassing fundamental and specialized engineering knowledge indicative of preparedness for practical engineering applications, as well as organizational and managerial skills coupled with decision-making capabilities under conditions of uncertainty and risk, received favorable evaluations from 60% of the surveyed business representatives. The survey findings elucidate that, notwithstanding their engineering focus, employers allocate significant importance not only to the professional qualities and capabilities of specialists but also to their personal and interpersonal attributes. Enterprises operating in the small and medium business sector have distinctly articulated their preference for personnel who are socially adept and communicative, inclined towards continuous learning, and actively engaged in enhancing the firm's performance, rather than solely being technically proficient engineers. The degree of development of universal competencies among university graduates in their first year of professional engagement is quantitatively appraised, averaging 4.42 points in the "Supply of Electricity, Gas, Hot Water supply" sector, 4 points in "Mining - Extraction of Metal Ores and Non-Ferrous Metals," 4.11 points in "Construction," and 3.6 points in "Manufacturing - Metallurgical Industry". In the process of identifying future competencies, it was possible to ascertain the principal priorities of business representatives aimed at enhancing production efficiency. Employing a systemic approach facilitated the compilation of a roster of prospective competencies.结合哈萨克斯坦当前的经济发展阶段，工程类毕业生目前缺乏足够的专业与通用能力这一假说，得到了面向企业代表开展的线上调研结果的验证。本次调研面向哈萨克斯坦共和国技术类高校毕业生的雇主展开，共纳入374名企业管理者作为参与者。本研究的信度经克朗巴哈α系数（Cronbach's Alpha）检验，得分为0.87，远高于0.7的临界阈值。多数研究结果显示，对受训专业人才的评价整体处于良好水平。研究对高校毕业生入职首年的专业能力养成水平进行了量化评估：在“电力、燃气及热水供应”行业，平均得分为4.38分；在“采矿——金属矿石与有色金属开采”行业，平均得分为3.93分；“建筑业”得分为3.8分；“制造业——冶金工业”得分为3.68分。针对核心专业素养——包括支撑工程实践应用所需的基础与专业工程知识，以及不确定性与风险场景下的组织管理能力与决策能力——60%的受访企业代表给出了正向评价。调研结果表明，尽管岗位聚焦工程领域，雇主不仅重视专业人才的专业素养与能力，同时也极为看重其个人特质与人际交往能力。中小微企业明确表示，相较于仅具备技术专长的工程师，他们更青睐社交能力出众、善于沟通、乐于持续学习并主动助力企业绩效提升的员工。研究还对高校毕业生入职首年的通用能力发展程度进行了量化评估：“电力、燃气及热水供应”行业平均得分为4.42分，“采矿——金属矿石与有色金属开采”行业为4分，“建筑业”为4.11分，“制造业——冶金工业”为3.6分。在梳理未来能力培养方向的过程中，本研究明确了企业代表为提升生产效率的核心优先级，借助系统研究方法最终编制出了一份预期能力清单。