Optimizing Professional Training of Penal System Employees
Zautorova E.V. Optimizing professional training of penal system employees. Penitentiary Science, 2025, vol. 19, no. 2 (70), pp. 209–217. doi 10.46741/2686-9764.2025.70.2.011.
The article deals with the problem of improving the professional level of penal system employees and optimizing their professional training. In this regard, one of the priorities of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia should be to support its specialists at all stages of their official activities, which involves both fundamental training and a practice-oriented approach with the effect of immersion in official activities, professional development of employees. The article presents a pilot professional training program for citizens first recruited to the penal system that includes the use of digital educational technologies, training workplaces, training grounds, training work routes, etc., implemented by highly qualified practice-oriented teaching staff of educational organizations of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. Purpose: obtaining objective information about the level of training of employees in the framework of vocational training (initial training) for further optimization of the educational process and improvement of the learning process quality. Methods: a review and analytical method consisting in the theoretical analysis of scientific sources on the subject of research; an empirical method including employee questionnaires; analysis of primary statistics data; a method of generalization and comparison. Results: according to the results of the study, the average score in the pilot group amounted to 4.41, which is 1.14 points higher than the entry control level. At the same time, the average score in the control group amounted to 3.68, which exceeds the entry control level by only 0.66 points. When taking a final exam, the experimental group participants, as a rule, had no problems with either the theoretical or practical part of the qualification exam, while sometimes inaccuracies in the wording were allowed. Solution of situational problems did not cause great difficulties. The control group participants showed an average level of knowledge in the theoretical part, while the practical part of the qualification exam caused difficulties for most of them; only 17.6% of the surveyed succeeded in it. In addition, the analysis of the assessment of the professional activity of a young penal system employee shows that those who were part of the experimental group received higher ratings from managers than those who were part of the control group. In this regard, during practical training, it is necessary to widely apply both active and interactive teaching methods based on modeling situations of official activity and developing skills and abilities to solve certain professional tasks in conditions as close as possible to real conditions of service. Conclusions: the implementation of an experimental professional training program for citizens first recruited to the penitentiary system with a differentiated approach allows us to determine necessary conditions for optimizing professional training of penitentiary staff, which will contribute to improving their professional level and effectiveness of their official activities in the penitentiary system.
Keywords: penal system; correctional institutions; educational organizations of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia; employees; vocational training; experimental program; optimization of vocational training.
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