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APPLIED COLLEGES AS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER FOR HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

The article is concerned with the issue of the transformation of domestic colleges into institutions of professional pre-higher education (IPPE), as well as the substantiation of their place in Ukraine's education system in the context of the country's human capital formation. The essential meaning of the concept of "human capital," the role of the social institution of education in developing the potential of human capital are emphasized. The educational mission of applied colleges is viewed through the lens of education's civilizational and sociocultural role. Based on the retrospective analysis of the history of the creation and growth of colleges as a component of the system of continuing training during the period of Ukraine's restoration of independence (1991-2021), regulatory framework for their operation, the current Law of Ukraine "On Professional Pre-Higher Education" (2019), statistics, and the results of the author's empirical research, a conclusion has been made about the self-sufficiency and necessity of this component in the modern education system of Ukraine. It has been determined that professional pre-higher education serves as a bridge between general secondary and higher education, and its content is an appropriate blend of pragmatic-practical and academic-theoretical components. The importance of the environmental approach in professional pre-higher education has been highlighted, and the necessity of transforming applied colleges into resource centers through the design and realization of an educational institution's corresponding educational environment has been given arguments for. A step-by-step algorithm is given for such project activity. There are some examples of issues and flaws that can arise when designing an innovative educational environment for an applied college.