EVOLUTION OF THE EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMME «SOCIAL WORK» AT THE «ECONOMIC AND LEGAL VOCATIONAL COLLEGE OF ZAPORIZHZHIA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY»: PRECONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATORY RENEWAL

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive study of the evolution of the educational and professional programme in specialty 231 “Social Work” at the Economic and Legal Vocational College of Zaporizhzhia National University during the period from 2010 to 2024. The author analyses the content-related, structural, and methodological changes in the programme, reflecting a gradual transition from a normatively prescribed model to an adaptive, integrated system of training based on competency-based and participatory approaches. The study is grounded in a retrospective analysis of curricula, licensing and accreditation outcomes, the provisions of the 2021 Sectoral Standard of Professional Pre-Higher Education, as well as annual monitoring data of the educational process involving key stakeholders. Special attention is paid to identifying mechanisms for engaging students, employers, graduates, and academic staff in the process of curriculum renewal. The article highlights key transformations of the curriculum, including the strengthening of interdisciplinary integration, the introduction of new educational components in response to current challenges in social work (war, internally displaced persons, increased demand for crisis intervention), the expansion of the elective part of the programme, and the actual implementation of student choice. The author proposes a vision of the programme as an example of an integrated model based on the principles of gradual development, professional relevance, and participatory governance in education. The findings confirm that the renewed 2024 programme demonstrates a qualitatively new level of content and logic in constructing the educational trajectory, meeting both the requirements of the professional standard and the expectations of the community. The article not only presents a chronological overview of the changes but also demonstrates the capacity of a local educational environment for critical reflection, regulatory implementation, and systemic renewal of professional social work training under wartime conditions and social turbulence.