ON THE ISSUE OF INTERCULTURAL INTERACTION IN THE SYSTEM OF SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION (on the example of Sverdlovsk region)
Intensive migration processes of the last thirty years, where the Russian Federation is an active participant, lead to a gradual change in the ethnic composition of residents in a number of Russian regions. On the basis of field research in a number of educational organizations of Sverdlovsk region in 2021 and the analysis of the situation in the field of interethnic relations, the authors substantiate the need for the formation of intercultural competence by means of education. By the population composition with the passing of time Sverdlovsk Region will eventually become even more multinational, including due to migrants from the Central Asian countries coming both to work and to obtain citizenship. The regional authorities take this aspect into account in their work with the population: there is an Advisory Council for Nationalities, dozens of public organizations representing the ethno-cultural interests of a number of diasporas and ethnic groups, large interregional public organizations dealing with interethnic interaction. The problem of adapting children and youth from families with a migration history to a non-ethnic environment deserves attention, since the level of social tension and conflict of interethnic relations in the region where they live will potentially depend on the degree of their inclusion (integration) into the Russian society as they grow up. If multicultural Yekaterinburg schools and schools of Sverdlovsk region from time to time become the subject of consideration by researchers, there are no open access scientific publications of a complex nature that would systematically characterize the situation in the field of interethnic relations in educational organizations in the region, especially at the level of secondary vocational education. The study of the ethno-cultural component representation in the education system of Sverdlovsk region is conducted, as an example, the systematic work in forming intercultural competence in Sverdlovsk Regional Medical College is examined, recommendations are given to introduce “Ethics and culture of interethnic communication” as a basic discipline into the curricula of educational organizations of secondary vocational education.