Introduction. The economic growth of the state largely depends on the effectiveness of the vocational education and training system (hereinafter referred to as VET). Changes in the VET system are most often fragmentary based on not always up-to-date data due to the lack of a holistic management system taking into account all components of the education system. The article is devoted to the analysis of theoretical ideas about the essence of management activity in general and education management in particular, the identification of system-forming contradictions and features in the VET management system in the context of its modernisation.
The aim is to identify areas for improving management activities and the practice of its application in education.
Methods. The study employed retrospective and content analysis of scientific publications available in the electronic libraries “PROFbiblioteka.by”, eLibrary, Scopus, and CyberLeninka, covering a period of 20 years and more, supplemented by the author’s managerial and pedagogical experience. To identify problems in the VET management system and develop proposals for its improvement, the expert assessment method was used.
Results. Expert assessments confirmed the absence of unified approaches to the quality management system of VET, as well as the lack of a comprehensive set of criteria and indicators for assessing management effectiveness. The results of a survey of college teaching staff demonstrate the relevance of developing and implementing an integrated VET quality management system with a clear distribution of powers and responsibilities at the national, regional, and institutional levels.
Scientific Novelty. The evolution of management concepts has been systematised and the specific features of state-administrative management of VET in the Republic of Belarus under modern conditions have been identified. The hypothesis about the need to move from managing individual components of the educational process to holistic management (of goals, processes, and results) aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of VET has been confirmed.
The practical significance lies in the development of recommendations for the modernisation of the VET quality management system in the Republic of Belarus under current conditions.