Regional aspects of continuing education of the population in the context of human development

The accelerated pace of change, modernization and innovative development of society require huge resources. Human potential, and above all, the potential of youth is, in our opinion, the central of them. In the article on the material of sociological research «The Continuing Education and the Social Well-being» conducted by the Department of social problems IEIE RAS SB, studied educational behavior, value assessment and motivation of continuing education among the economically active population of the region, compares the educational and professional potential of different groups of urban and rural population in two generations «youth – non-youth». «Youth» refers to the population aged 16–30 years, «non-youth» – a population of 31 to 45 years. The research problem that directed this research, is the lack of informed knowledge about the role of ontinuing education in the formation of human development of young people in different socio-territorial conditions. Amid quite a mass we of equipment for both urban and rural youth, the factor of computer and digital devices plays a role in the inclusion of young adults in continuing education. It was found a direct link of dissatisfaction about continuing education with lack of access to information technology (laptop, home Internet, digital office equipment, etc.) and with low material wellbeing of the family. Along with the importance of information technology in continuing education, young adults still considers the most preferred forms of supplementary professional education (hereinafter SPE) activities in organized courses with qualified teachers and methods. Differences in attitudes to supplementary professional education (SPE) between urban and rural youth are identified, first, by less involvement in the real educational activity (in particular, in formal education), compensated, however, by large intentions plans to engage in continuing education. Secondly, by different structure of types of training among these groups. So, in a large city there are more part-time students, but in rural areas – more participants of courses, receiving this way a new profession and rare training in «old» one. It is revealed that the need for continuing education of the adult population is manifested at different levels of actualization – from smaller in the solution prolonging of operational production issues to medium (next 2–3 years) plans for education and to more about the massive level, when young workers is consider training in the context of their status in main profession (if necessary to pass examination, get certificate, obtain additional knowledge and skills, etc.). Learning in the formal education system expressed more clearly by pragmatic reasons (work, position, career), along with cultural and professional, and in SPE there are more professional and adaptive to the labour market, along with cultural ones. In this regard, we see opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of continuing education in strategies of young people, and to focus of state youth policy on these tasks.