INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: A MODEL OF BACHELOR'S AND MASTER'S TRAINING IN NATURAL SCIENCES WITH ENGINEERING THINKING TO INCREASE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Ongoing changes in modern education are focused on ensuring national security and technical sovereignty of many countries around the world. The priorities of training highly qualified engineering personnel for key sectors of the economy – industry, agriculture, construction, transport, and the social sphere – necessitate a qualitative transformation of all levels of the education system to increase the competitiveness of countries in the international arena. In this context, the study examines the problem of training natural science teachers with engineering thinking for the development of the economy and industry of Russia. Using document analysis and an expert survey (assessment), a model for training bachelors and masters of natural sciences with engineering thinking was developed, aimed at increasing the level of regional development of education and achieving sustainable growth. The developed model focuses on integrating natural science, technical, and humanitarian knowledge and establishing their hierarchy, continuity, and complementarity. The priorities of Russian education relate to the creation of a system of continuous advanced engineering education (a combination of preschool, general, higher, and advanced education). Therefore, on the one hand, the developed model aims to train professionals who are ready to implement innovative educational scenarios of engineering pedagogy. On the other hand, the proposed model advances the competitiveness of the educational environment. The proposed model was developed based on the understanding of the development of engineering thinking in natural science teachers as a process consisting of four substantive blocks: the value-meaning block; the cognitive block; the block of regulatory norms; and the creative design block.