To the Problem of Improving the Education of Industrial Design Specialists in Ukraine

Abstract

New world challenges increasingly require designers to solve social problems of humanity, so designers are entrusted with increasingly complex and impressive tasks. However, the modern system of design education does not always prepare students for these tasks. This article analyses how the educational process of training designers in European countries is built. The realities of the development of industrial design in Spain and Ukraine are given, with an immersion in the historical prerequisites for the formation of this field of activity. The development of industrial design in countries is demonstrated, taking into account historical, economic and political prerequisites. The training programs were considered and the content of the training of industrial design engineers in Spain and the content of the training of industrial design specialists in Ukraine were compared. In the process of studying the training programs, significant differences in the understanding of the field of activity and the content of the training of industrial designers in Ukraine and Spain were revealed. This fact is reflected in the demand of students to study in the relevant training programs. In order to demonstrate the shortage of industrial design engineers in the production sector of industry, the labour market requirements for these specialists in Ukraine are given. According to the results of the analysis, the inconsistency of the training content of industrial designers with the requirements of the labour market was demonstrated both at the legislative level and at the level of employers’ requirements In order to meet the needs of industry and bring Ukrainian education to European requirements, it is proposed to introduce a new interdisciplinary educational program for training engineers in industrial design in Ukraine, taking into account the experience of the Spanish School of Industrial Design, which has incorporated the best English and European practices. It should contain two main focuses of training: engineering and aesthetics. At the same time, business awareness and environmental awareness when making decisions should become a mandatory component of the training of industrial design engineers.