A study on educational needs of adults (on the example of Zaporizhzhia region residents)

Опис

Lifelong learning is a determining factor of the city's or region's successful socio-economic development, the development of its human potential, the basis for the regional education policy. The theoretical substantiation, development and experimental verification of the conceptual grounds of the regional education policy require a careful analysis of both the educational capacity of the region and the study of the educational needs of the region residents, which confirms the urgency of the integrated monitoring of citizens' educational needs and the level of their satisfaction. In order to identify the educational needs of Zaporizhzhia region residents and the level of their satisfaction, 400 respondents have been surveyed. The survey was conducted in the form of a standardised interview with the ―face-to-face‖ method according to the respondents' residence using a specially designed tool (a questionnaire) which included 20 principal questions and 9 questions of socio-demographic character. The structure of the interview was developed in accordance with the specific features of the research topic and it was divided into conventional blocks, including identification of the current state of the education services market in the region and assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, analysis of the structure of the education services market in the region, studying the educational demands and needs of the region residents, and mapping the potential possibilities for the development of the education services market. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that 57.5% of Zaporizhzhia region residents are in need of educational services. The most important reasons indicated by the respondents is the acquisition of the knowledge necessary for achieving success in the profession (46.7%), the opportunity to get a diploma, licence or certificate (30.1%), the opportunity to increase chances in the labour market (19.2%). The inhabitants of the region mostly get information from the Internet (62.0%).