According to the new concept and based on the experience of Swiss partners, the Faculty of Health and Physical Education of Uzhhorod National University is moving to the implementation of new approaches in conducting internships for students from 2021. This is only a part of the changes - the faculty is currently working with the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW regarding the exchange of experience and cooperation between universities and employers, the establishment of the Employers' Council, the involvement of employers in the formation of the educational process and the content of education.
Considering that in Ukraine the participation of employers in the development of the higher education system is at the stage of formation, their influence on the content and expected learning outcomes is often formal, rather limited, and fragmentary. At the same time, in order to create a competitive educational environment, education of in-demand specialists, and retraining of personnel, it is important to involve employers in organising educational and scientific processes, namely the formation of educational content, educational process, creation of innovative infrastructure, financial and economic aspects, etc.
It was decided to test the new approach on the basis of the Faculty of Health and Physical Education of Uzhhorod National University, where specialists are trained in such specialties and educational programs as physical therapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, public health, nursing, special and inclusive education, physical culture and sport.
The strategic requirements of the community to the professional training of future specialists emphasise the problem of effective training of future specialists in higher education institutions. Professional circles require a socially and professionally mobile, proactive, responsible, capable of practical thinking specialist. The implementation of these tasks is possible only in the process of training, an integral component of which is its practical component. Therefore, the faculty will pay considerable attention to practice, which is a means of ensuring the effectiveness and quality of training of future professionals and one of the tools for forming readiness for professional self-improvement. It should be noted that the improvement of training in cooperation with potential employers is directly dependent not only on the orientation of students to the profession but also on the organisation of their training for future professional activities, in particular, in clinical (industrial) practice. In the long run, the faculty will switch to a dual system of education.
In the near future, online meetings with Swiss colleagues will be organised to get acquainted with the work of the Employers' Council and meetings to evaluate the work of the newly created Council, the Concept, and possible mechanisms for its improvement. Thus, the development of the educational component of the CAMZ's activity was continued, in which we found reliable partners and elaborated a clear action plan to improve the provision of qualified services to citizens.