PART II ANDRAGOGY AS A FIELD OF SOCIAL PRACTICE Chapter 6. FEATURES OF FORMATION OF SOCIALLY UNPROTECTED GROUPS OF ADULT POPULATION

Lecture



Social groups in need of social support in various publications and documents are designated differently: "non-privileged (disadvantaged)"; "socially weak"; "marginal"; "socially vulnerable".

The use of a generalizing concept of “socially unprotected groups” in an andragogical context allows us to designate those segments of the population for whom social support in solving life problems to some extent can be provided by means of education.

The concept of "social protection" is one of the key to the social policy of a democratic state. In the USSR, the system of social protection as the most important part of social policy included above all:

- the right to work;

- guaranteed by the state pension;

- administratively regulated prices, ensuring the "price" availability of basic goods and services;

- free education, health care, forms of leisure activities, etc.

In modern conditions, “social protection” refers to the policy of the state and the regions, aimed at ensuring a satisfactory existence for those groups of the population who find themselves in particularly difficult conditions and are unable to improve them without external support.

Social protection of the population is a system of a wide range of measures to prevent social distress. This is the support of socially vulnerable groups (benefits, benefits, payments); provision of minimum social guarantees for labor, education, rest; universal accessibility and socially acceptable quality of social benefits (hospitals, social assistance in difficult conditions).

Guarantees for education and labor are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Law "On Education", but emerging market relations in both the sphere of labor and education, the development of new type of production relations dictate their own laws and often give formal guarantees to these guarantees. However, both success in the labor market and participation in social processes require access to modern knowledge for the broad masses of the population. This problem is particularly acute in Russia in relation to low-income, socially unprotected groups of the population.

The emerging labor market makes increasing demands on the level of professional competence of specialists, specifies the demand for workers and specialists of various professions. The mismatch between demand and supply of insufficiently skilled labor becomes one of the reasons for the release of workers from the world of work, the loss of work and the emergence of unemployment. Participation in civil society is impossible without a successful professional career, which forms the foundation of personal independence, self-esteem and welfare and determines the quality of life.

The position of a modern adult in society, and above all in the labor sphere, largely depends on his level of competence, which entails raising the level of professional functional and information competence as a condition for meeting the requirements of the labor market, competent behavior in the current socio-economic situation, making effective decisions , change of profession or professional qualification, the acquisition of additional education necessary for personal growth, spiritual enrichment, satisfaction of interests as a condition of moral and psychological comfort.

All this is a field of problems, the solution of which allows a person to meet the requirements of the modern labor market, to keep employment in the workplace, to find work that provides a decent standard of living.

The unwillingness of a person to successfully solve primary problems immerses him in a crisis situation, from which it is almost impossible to get out of oneself. The consequences are job loss, unemployment; professional qualification; decline in living standards; moral and psychological discomfort, lack of self-confidence, loss of life prospects, psychological stress. In solving the problems encountered, formal and non-formal education - adults, is a factor of social protection. Accessibility (additional education for the broad masses of workers, its

orientation towards the development of competence, professionally significant personal qualities, competitiveness in the modern labor market, the improvement of qualifications or the provision of retraining can act as a reliable mechanism for getting out of a crisis situation.

Ensuring guaranteed access to professional (re) training at any level is one of the most effective forms of protecting the human right to work, including ensuring a decent standard of living.

However, in the field of education, where market

wearing, the population acts as a consumer of educational services only if it has the solvency.

An adult in crisis, as a rule, does not have the material ability to pay for high-quality educational services. The circle closes. Without social support, a significant part of the population is not able to use the necessary educational services, and therefore, to solve many important life problems.

The following social groups in the first place need social support in education:

1) university graduates who, after graduation, received a diploma of higher education and registered with the State Employment Service as unemployed or are forced to work outside their specialty - one third of the graduates;

2) persons with disabilities, who constitute one tenth of the population, including those able-bodied1;

3) the unemployed, whose number is also approaching 10% of the active population of Russia (2001 data - according to the methodology of the International Labor Organization, which takes into account hidden unemployment);

4) people of wage labor, the vast majority of whom are in a state of poverty or destitution2;

5) military personnel retired and in need of vocational retraining for civilian specialties; Russian “hot spots” servicemen who need educational services in combination with medical and psychological rehabilitation;

6) migrants and forced migrants;

7) single women raising children in incomplete families;

8) elderly people who have completed their work (retirees) - 38.5 million people in Russia, one third of whom continue to work;

9) people returning from places of detention.

All these groups of the adult population belong to the part of the population that today is defined by the new term - “critical zone of the labor market” 2. The critical zone of the labor market includes persons who have received the official status of the unemployed, as well as people who do not have the official status of the unemployed, but with a per capita income in the family below the subsistence minimum, part-time workers, and no additional income. In Russia, the size of this population group is regional in nature and reaches 70% of the economically active population3. This is the largest group in need of social protection by means of education and in the field of education. It is the source of unemployment that carries the threat of the development of the process of marginalization of the population, the emergence and development of social complications.

For these socially disadvantaged groups of the adult population (disabled, unemployed, military personnel, retired, migrants, etc.), special education models are developed. They provide for the implementation of both educational and specific functions, namely adaptation, re-socialization (re-socialization), support. As organizers of special types of education in Russia, three main subjects can be distinguished: the state represented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation; non-state educational institutions; non-governmental non-profit public organizations (NPO). Each of the subjects of the organization of education of socially unprotected groups of the adult population pursues its goals in this sphere and uses its own mechanisms. The objectives of the state are to create conditions for the realization of the human rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, in particular the right to work and education

a life; adaptation of the population to new socio-economic

conditions, social rehabilitation of citizens.

This implies the formation of prerequisites for the implementation of

laws "On Education", "On Employment", in particular:

- creation and financing of activities of institutions of general and vocational education for the disabled, educational

centers for persons with disabilities in enterprises;

- the creation of employment services and training centers for the retraining of the unemployed in the structures of regional employment services;

- support for targeted training and retraining programs for the disabled, the unemployed, and retired military personnel;

- organization of training for young people in prisons.

The state is engaged in organizing the activities of the educational system focused on other social groups of the adult population at the level of financing individual projects and targeted programs. So, professional retraining of women and military personnel can be carried out in the Training and Methodological Center of the employment service and public educational institutions working with employment services on a contractual basis.

In the last decade, as a result of the development of the educational services market, many new non-state institutions have emerged that are focused on training certain social groups of the population, for example, the St. Petersburg International Institute "Woman and Management", where educational programs for women are being implemented, including training for the unemployed; St. Petersburg International Institute for Advanced Studies "Perspective", specializing in professional retraining of military personnel.

The goals of non-state educational institutions in the education of socially vulnerable groups of the population are aimed at expanding the range of educational services and the range of their consumers and customers through the use of new social programs; to create optimal social and pedagogical conditions for educational activities focused on a specific social group; to achieve competitiveness through innovative approaches in the organization of the educational process §.

| Customers of educational services for non-state educational institutions in the field of vocational retraining are often the state itself, for example, the Ministry of Defense, which is interested in financing projects for the social and vocational rehabilitation of demobilized military personnel; employment service focused on the prevention of unemployment and acting as a customer in the field of professional retraining of unemployed women and young people. Interest in the professional retraining of military personnel is also shown by some foreign states. For example, Germany, when large groups of military personnel were withdrawn and demobilized from its territory in the early 1990s, made significant investments in the field of professional retraining of military personnel demobilized from the ranks, providing modern pedagogical conditions for such professional retraining of former military personnel and their wives.

The state and non-state educational institutions, as a rule, provide formal vocational education, which ends with the issuance of a diploma, certificate or certificate.

However, in the modern emerging policy of continuous education, more and more attention is paid not only to its economic necessity, caused by the peculiarities of the changing labor market, but also to its social and cultural significance. The traditional notions of the division of powers between the public and the authorities are being revised. The control system is forced to transfer more and more powers to the citizens themselves. The modern strategy for the development of lifelong adult education in Russia is beginning to be based on cooperation between the authorities and public organizations that act as social partners, since they are most closely associated with the interests and needs of individual citizens, social groups and various social and professional associations.

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) 1 is an important component of civil society, the so-called third sector, which along with the public sector and business is intended to contribute to the development of democracy.

Among non-profit organizations there are children's, youth, women's interest clubs, cultural, scientific communities, national associations, political parties and movements, human rights, trade unions and associations (social, religious, sports, environmental, etc.) . By purpose, NPOs are divided into member, service, and resource centers. Resource centers can be distinguished as a special type, as they participate in the creation of new NGOs, help existing ones to work more stably and efficiently, and maintain contacts with business and government bodies. NGOs carry out informational and educational work, training, publishing literature, exhibition and concert activities, organizing leisure activities, legal protection, medical and social assistance, rehabilitation, etc. NPOs offer services to their clients, the provision of which is difficult for the commercial sector (in due to non-profitability), and for the state (due to lack of resources, a small number of groups of those who need these services, and a variety of specific needs).

Examples of non-profit organizations include the well-known organizations in the country, Soldiers' Mothers, the Foundation for Assistance to Families of Soldiers killed in a combat mission, Greenpeace, and very small NGOs with a local character, such as the Exotic Plant Club or "Society of local lore". Practically all of them implement various civil, social programs, charity events, projects, most of which are aimed at solving educational or educational problems.

In recent years, the movement of non-profit organizations in Russia is gaining more and more scope. In the public life of the country, they contribute to the adaptation of people to modern conditions. Stimulating constructive initiative, developing such civic qualities as activity in public and political life, ability to make independent decisions in situations of social choice, NGOs promote civic education of the adult population.

The main goal of civic education is the development of a dialogue between all sectors of society: government, business and citizens. By means of achieving this goal, NGOs see an increase in the social competence of citizens, help in realizing their needs for self-development, social and other improvement, and providing assistance to the least protected groups of the population. NPOs implement their educational and educational functions, publishing various materials, which, as a rule, are distributed free of charge, organizing free consultations for the population (legal, psychological, etc.), various actions in order to draw public attention to a particular issue, conduct courses, trainings, seminars for different categories of the population.

Many NGOs actively cooperate with foreign non-governmental organizations: foundations, missions, individuals, combining the traditions of national enlightenment with world experience and technology in adult education.

An example of such cooperation is the partnership Russian-Swedish project "Social Partnership and Civil Society" (St. Petersburg - Leningrad Region, Pskov, Novgorod), carried out in 2001-2002. NGO "Charity Society" Nevsky Angel "" and the Swedish National University (Uppsala). The essence of this project is the development of social partnership between civil institutions and authorities through the joint training of their representatives. During the project, information seminars and an educational course are held. Subjects of training are focused on advanced training in the field of democratic governance and business cooperation, civic participation in decision-making processes at all levels. Another example is the project “A System of Democratic Civic Education” in the city of Krasnoyarsk1.

Civic education of adults, carried out by NGOs, can be attributed to the informal form of education, and NGOs themselves to the informal sources of adult education.

Tasks and questions for self-control

1. Prepare a message on the topic "Education as a factor in the social protection of an adult in the modern world." Try to formulate the conditions under which this becomes possible.

2. View one or more of the most popular local publications (newspapers, weeklies) for the last month. Find materials directly or indirectly about the educational activities of NGOs. Analyze what types of NPOs are represented. What do they do? What forms do they take in public education? What do you know about the activities of NGOs in your city? Discuss the collected information in a group.

Recommended literature

Novikov P., Vasilyeva P. Vocational training of the unemployed population // Man and Labor. - 1996. - Љ 1.

New knowledge. - 1999. - Љ 3.

Shemetov V. Evaluation of the effectiveness of vocational training programs for unoccupied citizens // Man and Labor. - 1997. - Љ 3.

Hamburg Declaration on Adult Learning. The Fifth International Conference on Adult Aducation. Hamburg ( http://www.education.unesco.org/uie/confinteA/ declaeng.html).

Introducing informal education ( http://www.infed.org/i-intro/html )

Learning Age (http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/greenpaper/index.html). West Edwin G. Education with and without the State (http://www.worldbank.org/html/workp/wp00061.html).


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