Investing in human, cultural and social capital by encouraging flexible competencies of educators as strategic priority for social and economic development

Kompetencije neophodne za uspješno obavljanje odgojno-obrazovnog, kao i svakog drugog društveno korisnog rada, odnose se između ostaloga i na sklonost pojedinca cjeloživotnom obrazovanju, mogućnost njegovog usmjeravanja, ali i dostupnost. U ovom je radu prikazana struktura odgojno-obrazovnih djelatnika Republike Hrvatske, napravljena usporedba s ostalim zemalja Europe i svijeta i naznačene tendencije razvoja. Predočeni su i analizirani rezultati istraživanja provedenog u svrhu poboljšanja planova i programa stručnog usavršavanja prosvjetnih djelatnika. S obzirom na to da osobe koje rade u odgojno-obrazovnom procesu moraju razvijati kombinaciju prohodnih i prenosivih temeljnih kompetencija, financiranje ljudskog, kulturnog i društvenog kapitala trebaju podržati odgovorne institucije. Pored konkretnih znanja za ostvarivanje određene aktivnosti tu je i cijeli sklop vještina i stavova primjerenih svakoj osobi u konkretnim situacijama, a neophodnih za uspostavljanje i njegovanje kvalitetnih socijalnih odnosa. Objediniti odgoj i obrazovanje i biti dio nečijeg odrastanja predstavlja veliki izazov, ogromnu odgovornost, ali i neprocjenjivu privilegiju.Competencies necessary for successful education, as well as for every other community service, relate to the tendency of an individual to lifelong learning, to his or her availability and professional course. This paper presents the structure of educational employees of the Republic of Croatia, in comparison with other countries in Europe and the world with indicated growth tendencies. The results of research conducted for the purpose of improving plans and professional development programs of educational workers have been presented in this paper. Considering that people who work in the educational process must have the combination of transferable basic competencies, financing of the cultural and social capital needs to be supported by the responsible institutions. In addition to specific knowledge, there is a whole set of skills and attitudes appropriate to each person in a particular situation, which are necessary for the establishment and nurture of social relations. Consolidating education and being a part of growing up is a great challenge, a great responsibility, but also an invaluable privilege