Functions of a professional brand-building foresight technology in modelling the competitiveness of university graduates in the labour market

Introduction. The emergence of social, political and economic processes in the modern world leads to the development of innovative educational technologies, among which the researchers’ attention is drawn to a professional brand-building foresight technology. The professional brand-building foresight technology is a system of principles, methods and techniques for expert analysis of current achievements of students, young professionals and anyone who seeks self-improvement. Moreover, this training technology includes the development of programmes to optimise the professional and personal self-development of an individual in terms of his/her possible career growth. The aim of the current research was to justify the professional brand-building foresight technology developed by the authors, and to check the effectiveness of its application in the formation of brand-building and foresight competencies in a future specialist in the educational process of higher education. Methodology and research methods. The theoretical and methodological strategy in the study is a competency-based approach, which contributes to the formation of brand-building and foresight competencies. The conceptual provisions of the foresight approach, implemented in a complex of brand-forming tools of a single foresight trajectory in order to model and design a professional brand in relation to the strategic goals of a future specialist, became a practice-oriented research tactic. The authors used the following general scientific and specific scientific methods: questionnaire survey based on random systematic (mechanical) sampling, in-depth interview, expert survey, document analysis, self-assessment of readiness for personal brand-building. Results. The authors presented the professional brand-building foresight technology, the essence of which lies in the design of a professional brand and future career path. Its structure includes four programmes: self-marketing, personal branding, brand-building case and a road map to success. As a result of training, brand-building and foresight competencies are developed. The approbation experiment demonstrated that without special brand-building and foresight training of students, these competencies are formed spontaneously. Based on the results of the conducted surveys, the authors analysed the level of formation of brand-building and foresight competencies and the interest in the technology of personal brand-building as a factor of career self-development. A survey of university graduates revealed the dependence of employment on special teaching methods and the professional brand-building foresight technology. The interviews held with Russian and Latvian teachers determined the effectiveness of this technology. The study of the employers’ opinions showed the reasons that hinder the successful employment of young specialists. In addition, the authors revealed a lack of knowledge and a non-systematic limited nature of teaching these competencies in universities. Scientific novelty lies in the replenishment of interdisciplinary (at the intersection of pedagogy, brand building, forecasting, professional studies) scientific knowledge about foresight methodology. The emphasis is on the innovativeness of the professional brand-building foresight technology, which contributes to the competitiveness of university graduates and increases their chances of professional success. Practical significance. The results of the research can be useful for developing ideas about brand-building and foresight competencies development, personal brand-building, professional brand-building foresighting. The research materials can be employed by students and teachers of higher education institutions, heads of educational systems in the organisation of the educational process, as well as by various specialists and practitioners.