TRAINING OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SPECIALISTS WITH AN IT PROFILE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Abstract

Purpose jf the study The digital transformation of international trade and foreign economic activity is fundamentally reshaping the competency requirements for professionals in this field. On the one hand, there is a growing demand for hybrid personnel who combine deep knowledge of international law, logistics and finance with proficiency in information technology. On the other hand, the national system of higher and additional education faces serious challenges, including outdated curricula and a shortage of faculty capable of training such specialists. This study identifies the key competencies of a new-generation foreign trade professional, analyses current educational practices, and proposes an approach to building an integrated model for personnel training. The research combines formal legal analysis of regulatory and policy documents in education and foreign trade, systematic review of existing educational programmes, and expert assessments of business needs for relevant competencies. Classification and categorisation methods are employed to identify distinct groups of professional and digital skills. It has been established that, under the influence of sanctions pressure and the reorientation of Russian exports towards the markets of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the requirements for foreign trade specialists have transformed. In addition to knowledge of new markets and foreign languages, the ability to work with big data analytics tools, understanding of blockchain and smart contract technologies, and knowledge of cross-border digital payment mechanisms have become critically important. In response, leading Russian universities, together with state development institutions and business corporations, are launching new educational projects; however, their scale and systemic coherence remain insufficient. A multi-factor competency assessment model is proposed, taking into account both «hard» professional skills and digital competencies, which can be used to quantify personnel shortages and adjust curricula. Training specialists in foreign economic activity with an IT profile requires a transition from ad‑hoc initiatives to a systematic restructuring of the educational process based on continuous dialogue with business. The developed model can serve as a diagnostic tool for assessing personnel needs both at the level of individual enterprises and at the industry level.