Introduction. Changes in society are focused on finding ways to improve the competitiveness of the domestic economy, improve industrial relations for more effective development of productive forces. One of the key problems is a lack of financial resources. As it is known, additional financial investments lie in increase of government revenues or in reducing expenditures. Results of the research show that the authorities pay more attention to the latter option of searching for financial reserves. Sources of science and education funding are constantly decreasing. This leads to the decreased competitiveness in higher education and its graduate numbers. Problem solving in the scientific and educational area is carried out by taking measures by administration, which are aimed at curtailing scientific research and limiting the access to study at universities for young people. While world experience indicates that the competitiveness of countries in the 21st century will be determined neither by natural nor financial resources, but by the workforce skills. Naturally, Japan, which aspires to world leadership, has announced its readiness to move to compulsory higher education.
Purpose of the research is to justify the role of higher education in ensuring the sustainable development of the national economy, as well as to formulate prospective directions for improving the competitiveness of the higher education system of Ukraine.
Results. It is acknowledged the conclusion that the development of the higher education system is an important factor in the development of the national economy in the context of integration and globalization processes. The current state is characterized, restraining factors of the progressive development of higher education are established. The priority directions of higher education development and the increase of graduates competitiveness in the labor market are outlined. It is pointed out that the generation of new knowledge, their commercialization in the form of product, technological and other innovations is increasingly dependent on the intellectual potential of higher education institutions. It is established that the employment rate depends on the level of education. It is noted that the development of higher education is an important indicator of both the economy and the harmonization of the «human – society» relations. It was confirmed that industrial society needs not only a few talented people, but a high level of education of the whole population for its development. It is proved that the quality of specialists training requires close cooperation between the interested participants of the educational process: the academic community of HEIs, employers, graduates and students. It is established that the lack of a unified methodology for determining the services fees leads to falsification of the competition during the admission process to HEI. It is shown that there is a problem of chronic under-financing of the necessary expenditures of the HEIs` activities in Ukraine, which is the reason for the decrease in the quality of educational services. It is proposed to use levers of differentiated allocation of budgetary funds between HEIs depending on their performance in the chosen activity indicators, as well as to diversify the sources of revenue.
Prospects. Further research of problems of the development of the competitiveness of the national higher education systems should be conducted in the direction of substantiating the role of higher education in the sustainable development of national economy, increasing funding for maintenance and development, rising the internal and international mobility of students, academic and teaching staff; opportunities provision for teachers of qualitative improvement training, and providing guarantees for the first workplace for graduates; development of alternative financing sources for the provision of educational services; highlighting foreign experience of higher education development.
Some aspects of improving the competitiveness of higher education