Non-formal education at the present stage: expert commentary

Abstract

This article discusses the main approaches to the study of non-formal education and its impact on the human capital development. The authors present the conceptualization and theoretical interpretation of the concept, approaches to the definition in the scientific literature and international regulatory documents. In their analysis of contemporary studies of non-formal education, the authors have implemented an empirical study using the method of expert estimates. The authors have interviewed 36 experts from six major cities of the Russian Federation: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, Tyumen, and Saratov. Based on an expert survey, an analysis includes the discussion of resource potential of non-formal education at the present stage, possibilities and “nodal points” of the impact of non-formal education on the development mechanism of general and specific human, the position of experts on assessing skills and competencies acquired in non-formal education, and the prospects for the national qualifications system implementation in Russia.