Academic mobility of students as a key factor for professional competences development of future engineers

Abstract Academic mobility of students as a key factor of professional competences development of future engineers One of the most urgent issues all over the educational world is mutual recognition ofacademic degrees and international cooperation in quality management. The main focus isgiven to professional mobility. Over the recent ten years among the major tasks of Bolognareforms European academic society has considered the development of students’, andacademic and administrative staff academic mobility. It is commonly known that two levelsof training, ECTS system of credits, etc. have been introduced to achieve these goals in thecounties-Bologna declaration participants. The aim of academic mobility programs’ development is improvement of educationquality, amelioration of mutual understanding between different peoples and cultures,education of new generation, prepared to live and work in the international informationsociety. The key factor of international cooperation in majority of advanced Russianengineering institutions of higher education is development of academic mobility. Academicmobility is a possibility for students, postgraduate students and young scientists to continueeducation and to acquire academic experience abroad by means of participation in short-termeducational and research program. Academic mobility is one of the priority directions ofinternational activity of all foreign and during the last years of Russian institutions of highereducation. Necessity of academic mobility development is determined by innovative characterof contemporary production, objective demand in diversification of education, marketdevelopment of educational services. Development level of academic mobility at institution of higher education, and entirenational system of higher education gives an idea about the degree of integration ininternational educational space, about the level of availability of higher education.Development level of academic mobility is one of the most important indicators of trainingquality at a certain university and in a whole system of professional education. Academic mobility is accompanied by a number of problems associated with itsrealization such as: development and implementation of individual educational trajectories,creation and development of joint educational programs of several institutions of highereducation, sources and mechanisms of financing, status, rules of distribution and recognitionof documents, language of teaching and academic communication. The last position is theknowledge of a foreign language and even several foreign languages. Unfortunately it is theweakest link for the majority of Russian students. Problem solving is considered in supplementary training in the area of professionaltranslation. Possibilities given at the faculties of supplementary education of universities tolearn English alongside with basic educational program are various and attract learners moreand more. According to the surveys majority of students learn English not for their pleasure,but in the first place, because foreign language is necessary for future work or increasesperspectives of further job placement. The importance of such position increases if one takesinto account that academic mobility is closely associated with conception of professionalmobility, supposed an ability to apply effectively obtained knowledge and skills for carryingout professional tasks in the related branches of production and pass with comparative easefrom an activity to the other. 1