The Role of University Additional Professional Education in Regional Ecosystem Development

Any country’s human resources quality is a key factor in its competitiveness, therefore, the current development of lifelong learning support systems is determined not only by the mechanisms of professional competencies enhancement in accordance with new market demands and technological changes, but also by the speeding of transformations and the unpredictable economic changes. The processes of digital transformation of the economy made the interaction of professional education and the labor market inevitable, while the role of additional professional education has grown significantly. At the stage of digital transformation of society and the economy the labor market is characterized, on the one hand, by the disappearance of traditional professions and the emergence of new ones meeting the needs of the digital economy and society and, on the other, by the shortage of professionals with new competencies. This shortage is evident in many spheres, but especially in the spheres of high-tech. The problem of the personnel shortage can be solved with the strong pool of regional additional professional education system resources which exists mainly in higher education institutions. To find the solution, various forms of interaction and collaboration between educational and research organizations are necessary. The article presents the results of a theoretical research on the current state and prospects for the development of additional professional education in Higher Education Institutions. The authors identified the main trends in the development of additional professional education and defined the role of higher education in the development of a regional educational ecosystem with the emphasis on the primary role of regional universities in the sustainable development of the economy, education and human resources of the region.