The Vision of Students of Their Professional Activities in the Industry 4.0

The active spread of digital technologies and the development of artificial intelligence have led to the transformation of the world of work and to the replacement of not only physical, but also mental work tasks. Requirements for the competencies and psychological characteristics of future workers in helping professions have changed. There is a need to improve the training system in higher educational institutions in order to prepare students for professional activities in the context of technological changes. Students’ vision of the threats and opportunities of Industry 4.0 for professional activities, awareness of technological innovations and attention to the development of digital competencies form their ability to adapt to changing working conditions. The article presents the results of a narrative analysis of the vision of the professional activity of future specialists in the field of psychology and social work, studying at the university of the Russian Federation. The students’ vision about changes in the requirements for professional competencies of a psychologist and a social worker in connection with digitalization and robotization of labor were analyzed. Four groups of respondents were identified with different views on the Industry 4.0 threats to future professional activities. The results of the study show that the majority of students studying helping professions are not sufficiently informed about innovative processes in their professional sphere and have a low level of readiness to develop the necessary competencies, which poses a threat to their well-being in the future workplace.