Personalized strategies for developing personal and professional maturity of future specialists in the agro-industrial sector

Achieving technological leadership in the agro-industrial sector is hampered by a severe shortage of highly qualified specialists. The authors argue that a critical aspect of preparing in-demand specialists in higher education is the personal and professional development of the students achieving their personal and professional maturity. However, this aspect is not fully addressed in the current scientific literature. This study aims to justify personalized strategies for developing the personal and professional maturity of future specialists in the agroindustrial sector. To achieve this goal, the authors employed qualitative content analysis and cognitive methods. The multidimensional nature of the categories “maturity,” “personal maturity,” and “professional maturity,” along with their diverse semantic meanings, necessitated the introduction of the concept of “personal and professional maturity,” the content of which is presented from the perspective of a setting-incremental approach. Taking into account the industry-specific characteristics of the agricultural sector and the results of the qualitative analysis, the study identifies and justifies five personalized strategies for developing the personal and professional maturity of future agro-industrial specialists: the integration strategy, the flexibility strategy, the career strategy, the cooperation strategy, and the mentorship strategy. These strategies contribute both to the development of personal and professional maturity of future specialists and to the development of human resources in the agro-industrial sector – those capable of effectively responding to modern challenges and achieving technological excellence.