The paper analyzes foreign experience of national qualifications system development induced by the requirements of the post-industrial knowledge-based society, qualification gap between the labor market supply and demand, etc. The author regards the role of national qualifications framework as a reorganization stimulus for vocational training and lifelong learning developments. The learning outcomes are regarded as the key methodology element of identification, estimation and comparison of qualifications in question. The institutional, methodological and organizational mechanisms, guaranteeing the national qualifications system functioning, are described. The research is aimed at justifying the need for the national qualifications system development in Russia, and involvement of all the interested people.

The paper looks at the key issues of vocational education modernization in Russia in the context of the Vocational Training and Applied Qualifications Development Strategy valid up to 2020. The author considers the need for training quality assurance, its relevance for the state, individuals, and labor markets; both the external and internal factors of vocational training quality assurance being analyzed.

The main emphasis is on developing the qualifications framework, regarded as a multi-dimensional matrix, including various specializations, labor forms and qualification levels. The system in question can be used for finding the flexible learning routes and optimizing the time resources and training costs.

In conclusion, the author outlines a complex of procedures which allow different categories of people to achieve and approve necessary qualifications; the main emphasis is given to the specialized vocational qualifications centers, operating with the transparent and relevant criteria of learning outcomes and training quality assessment.

The paper is devoted to a comparative analysis of international developments in establishing the qualifications systems; the related experience of the European Union countries are examined along with the main trends of the European discourse. The author demonstrates the mechanisms, guaranteeing the international comparability and compatibility of qualifications, and credits accumulation and transfer in vocational and higher education. The special emphasis is placed on developing principles of the national qualifications framework regarded as a basis of qualifications systems, the importance of the state participation and regulation of the na- tional qualifications systems development, maintenance and coordination is pointed out. The paper describes different models of the end-users participation in the national qualifications system formation, including the general public, employers, education administrations and employment bodies.

The paper reveals the research outcomes concerning the qualifications requirements of the Kyrgyz Republic’s agricultural sector; the significance of the given sector and lack of competent specialists determine the research relevance. The methodology bases of quantitative and qualitative human resources analysis involved a traditional sociological survey and innovative methods of functional analysis. The research findings can be used for balancing the labor marker supply and demand, and ensure, therefore, the effective personnel management in agricultural industry. On the other hand, the above findings can improve the vocational training programs and mechanisms of training quality assessment to align them with the employers’ requirements.

The paper reveals the experience of Tver region in building up the partnership of vocational training institutions and potential employers, and demonstrates the interim results achieved as a result of the Regional Program of Vocational Education Development. The practice-oriented approach helps to address a set of relevant objectives: students’ competencies development, related to the demands of regional industrial labor markets; acquaintance with the labor and industrial relations, innovative technologies, and modern equipment; and reinforcement of practical training aspects. In the conclusion, the authors outline the prospective trends of regional vocational education development addressing the training needs of different target groups.

The paper deals with the issues of human resources development and IT-staff training. The authors put a special emphasis on bringing the IT-staff training system in line with the labor market demands both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Based on the object-oriented approach, the authors explore the reasons behind the existing imbalance between the markets of IT-education services and IT-specialists in Azerbaijan, the challenges facing the IT education and specificity of the IT-specialists market being described.

For overcoming the above gap between the IT labor market supply and demand, the authors put forward a model of professional competences, reflecting the real-life requirements for a specialist’s quality. Additionally, the paper outlines the recommended trends of IT-sector development in Azerbaijan, which include organization of innovative research and education centers for specialists’ training and retraining, legislative and institutional coordination of the IT industry and education, development of new educational standards, increase in the number of IT-profile students.

The paper gives an overview of the education system in Germany and explores the structure of National Qualifications Framework, developed in compliance with the Recommendations of the European Parliament and Council, and reflecting the specificity of the four-level educational structure. The author regards it as an effective means for educational system modernization and interaction with the labor market. Additionally, the research demonstrates the mechanisms, put forward by the Association for Developing the German Qualifications Framework to guarantee the compatibility and comparability of German and European qualifications; it also denotes the eight levels of German National Qualifications Framework along with their descriptors.

The paper looks into the diverse aspects of qualifications system regulation, designed for balancing the supply and demand in the labor and educational service markets. Both the objects and mechanisms of such regulation are described. Special attention is given to institutions, involved in regulation of qualifications, and their jurisdiction. Another emphasis is on the industry-related regulation of qualifications which proved to be effective both on the national and European level. Such structures were first established on the national levels to regulate the qualifications and ensure their comparability and compatibility, given the economic globalization and growing labor and academic mobility. The author points out the role of the ministries of education and labor in maintaining a steady qualifications system, and outlines the positive experience of Great Britain using the industry councils for continuing development of qualifications system.

The paper deals with qualifications framework development for the Russian forestry sector, carried out in accordance with the Tempus SUFAREL project of the consortium of Russian and EU universities and organizations. The authors emphasize the need for effective estimation and regulation methods based on the competence-oriented qualifications descriptors reflecting the employers’ demands. The publication analyzes professional competences formation in European universities, descriptor contents of national qualifications frameworks, education specificity and requirements for the forestry sector in different countries. The research outcomes provide a basis for qualifications framework development in the Russian forestry sector including the main descriptors of responsibility and authority, skills and competences.

The authors believe that the above qualifications framework can reinforce qualifications system developments and advanced vocational training, as well as the labor market strategy elaborations.

The consortium of Russian and European universities carried out the project of Qualifications Framework Development for Higher Educational Institutions in the Ural region in 2009–2010, which consistently resolved a new task of creating the professional and educational environment in the Ural Federal Region, and developed the proposals for the national qualifications framework elaboration. The project involved studying the European experience and academic staff surveys, developing the qualification grid for educational institutions and industrial enterprises with different forms of ownership, and finally – creating and approbating the Regional Qualifications Framework adapted to the Russian realities. As a result, the research outcomes were incorporated both in the Ural State Federal University qualifications framework in metallurgy, and the new Federal State Educational Standard.

The paper reveals the international prospects of developing and spreading the qualifications frameworks across the globe. It introduces the key terms and concepts related to the given issue, and examines both the benefits and challenges of qualifications frameworks implementation. The author looks into the origins and causes of the worldwide interest in qualifications framework application, and gives the overview of related recent publications and their conclusions to reinforce the provided argumentation.

The paper describes the Finnish perspective on introducing the national qualifications framework based on learning outcomes and competences. The issue is analyzed in a broader context of successful history of Finnish education and realization of lifelong training strategy. The authordemonstrates the education policy development in Finland and the role of different parties in its implementation, as well as a conflict of interests and obstacles that slow down the adoption of the national qualifications framework.