STEAM-EDUCATION AS THE BASIS OF AVIATION SPECIALISTS’ HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Ntroduction. One of the areas of innovative development of higher education is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) training, through which future specialists develop their logical thinking and technical literacy, learn to solve their problems, become innovators and inventors. STEM-training will permit to strengthen and solve the most actual problems of the future. However, STEM education is important but it is not sufficient for the effective development of society in the future, because humanitarian education is an important part of the training of future specialists especially in the aviation industry, so the issue of STEAM-education implementation into the educational process is actualized (Arts skills). Purpose. The purpose of this article is to study the foreign experience of STEM education development and to highlight the importance of the humanitarian component during the professional training of future specialists especially in the aviation industry. Methods. In the research the empiric and theoretical methods have been used, namely: theoretical analysis and synthesis of psychological and pedagogical scientific sources, observation, comparison, questioning. Results. The article focuses on the development of STEM-education as a modern direction in pedagogy. The key international statements about STEM-education and its role in youth training have been presented. The formation of STEM-education in the USA has been analyzed and it has been noted that it is an insufficient direction for the effective development of society in the future. It is emphasized that the combination of STEM-education with the disciplines of the humanitarian cycle (STEAM) will allow to train specialists, especially in the aviation industry, with a developed humanitarian culture capable not only to solve technological issues but also to cooperate in a team; to analyze and express their thoughts taking into account the changing creative atmosphere; to perceive and apply constructive criticism. Originality. It is suggested to take into account the foreign experience of development of STEM-education and not to reject the importance of humanitarian disciplines in order to provide high-quality professional training of future specialists in the aviation industry. Conclusion. The introduction of STEAM-education in professional education establishments is a necessity, paying attention to the trends of science and society development. After all, humanitarian education of the XXI century is an important part of the training of specialists, especially in aviation, and it considers relevant issues that concern not only the educational establishment but also the society as a whole and the provision of working places. For this purpose, it is aimed at educating active citizens capable of thinking globally, which in general promotes the formation of their humanitarian culture. At the same time, the value of humanitarian education is that it prepares future professionals to successful livelihoods in the private and municipal sectors, in different structures of a democratic state and moreover, even in different communities.