Introduction. In the context of accelerating technological, economic, and social change, the international expert and professional community is actively developing an approach that shifts the emphasis from formal educational qualifications to the assessment of actual skills demonstrated by employees. The spread of this approach highlights the need for a scientific understanding of the relationship between diplomas and skills for HR and the personnel training system. The relevance of this study is also determined by the objectives of ensuring Russia’s human resource sovereignty and the need to prevent the risks of devaluation of the secondary and higher vocational education systems.
Aim. To develop balanced approaches to assessing the role of diplomas and qualifications in the formal education system and actual skills acquired through various means, as applied to labour market needs and the professional development of employees.
Methods. The study is interdisciplinary. The central method is reflexive analytics applied to the analysis of the evolution of the epistemology of skills, the labour market, and human resource management. Comparative and systemic analysis methods were also used, including a critical review of Russian and international publications and reports of international organizations (OECD, WEF).
Results. The key risks of the “skills first” approach for the tertiary education system, the labour market, and social stability are identified. The inadmissibility of extending this approach beyond continuing vocational education is substantiated. It is proposed to determine the balance of knowledge and skills for each subject area and qualification level, taking into account the dynamics of their variability. Recommendations are formulated for supporting discourse at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels, including improving skill signaling systems and mechanisms for their implementation.
The scientific novelty lies in conceptualizing the emerging public discourse of “diplomas vs skills” as an independent area of scientific analysis and in identifying key areas of its institutionalization in the context of the interaction between the tertiary education system and the labour market.
Practical significance. The results of the study can be used in the formation of public policy in the field of higher and continuing vocational and professional education, as well as for improving qualification verification mechanisms in the process of aligning labour market requirements with the results of vocational and professional education.