Arrangement of a career guidance activity of a transport university at the pre-university level: experience of sociological research

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the arrangement of a transport university activity with students and applicants as the main actors of career-oriented interaction. The article substantiates the theoretical and methodological foundations of the analysis of the selected issues: understanding of the essence of managerial problems of the organization of a career guidance activity as an order, coordination of actions of participating subjects-organizers and actors of the career guidance process; the concept of types of career guidance activities of the University (introduced in the papers by G. F. Shafranov-Kutsev and S. N. Tolstoguzov). The empirical part is based on the analysis of data from a survey of first-year students of the Ural State University of Railway Transport in order to identify the effectiveness of the organization of career guidance, factors that influence the choice of profession and a university; to determine the directions and forms of career guidance interaction between the university and graduates of general education institutions. The results of the study suggest that young people at the stage of choosing a profession and where to get it need professional guidance. Yesterday s students, and now first-year students, recognize the need and importance of this area of activity. The strategy of building a professional trajectory for a significant part of the surveyed students corresponds to the formula of choosing a profession ”1 want - I can - I must”: there is a focus on interest in the profession, taking into account the results of the Unified State Exam and demand in the labor market. The main sources of information when choosing a university are the official website of the university, advice from friends and relatives, reference books about educational institutions for applicants, and social networks. On the basis of the analysis conclusions are made about the use of propagating, selective, student-centered approaches to career guidance in USURT, dedicated career-oriented events aimed at formation of an attractive image of the university and promote transport related professions, formulated specific recommendations for improving the organization of vocational guidance.