Development of Vocational Guidance in the Education System as a Factor of Social Justice in the Conditions of Contemporary Challenges: A Comparative Study

Modern challenges set new goals for vocational guidance in the education system: it is important to prepare the future subject of social and professional activity, with competencies that ensure success in various fields. The purpose of the study is the analysis of modern approaches and methods of vocational guidance in the education system as an accompaniment to the professional self-determination of schoolchildren in Russia and abroad. The study is based on a comparison of modern models and approaches to career guidance in different countries (USA, Europe, China, Russia, etc.) in the context of globalization, digitalization, accelerating the pace of change, and increasing uncertainty. The main empirical method of the research was the content analysis of scientific domestic and foreign scientific publications that reveal the theoretical and applied aspects of vocational guidance (86 publications in total). The categories of analysis were: campaigns, organizational models, subjects, goals, forms, and methods of vocational guidance. The study showed the presence of both common features and differences. The similarity is found at the theoretical level in understanding the purpose of modern career guidance as a process of supporting students' professional self-determination, as well as the importance of carrying out this work at all levels of education using practical-oriented forms of work. The features of vocational guidance in developed countries, unlike Russia, include the existence of an organized work system implemented by specialists in the form of educational programs. The study allows us to determine both the positive aspects of the development of vocational guidance in Russia, as well as the shortcomings that need to be addressed.