Introduction. The primary goal of the vocational education system is to prepare personnel for regional economies. It is evident that this preparation should align with the prospective regional and industry-specific personnel needs. However, since the early 1990s, education has been funded not only by the state but also through contracts for paid educational services, based on the personal preferences of applicants and their families. This shift has led to a potentially imbalanced structure in the preparation of specialists. Therefore, analysing the correspondence between the structure of midlevel specialist (MLS) training and the personnel needs of a region’s economy, including the Far East, becomes crucial.
Aim. To conduct an analysis of the correspondence between the structure of MLS training and the personnel needs of the Far Eastern Federal District’s economy and its constituent regions.
Methods. The analysis involved comparing the share of specific aggregated groups of specialties and training directions (AGST) in the structure of admissions to MLS programmes with the share of individuals employed in organisations related to corresponding types of economic activities. Using different classifiers and having specialists of various professions employed in organisations related to different types of economic activity led to an ambiguity in comparing necessary data. MLS training was deemed deficient/excessive if the share in the admission structure to corresponding AGST deviated from the share in the employed structure by two or more times.
Results. In most regions of the Far East, MLS training systems are loosely or only partially connected to industrial economic systems. In the future, all regions in the district may face an excess of specialists with secondary vocational education in information and communication, and over half may have an excess in the healthcare system. Four subjects may experience a shortage of personnel for trade-oriented organisations. The identified disproportions cannot be rectified through a deficit/excess of similar specialists in other regions of the district.
Scientific novelty. Specific types of economic activities have been identified for which MLS training is deficient/excessive compared to the demand for such specialists.
Practical significance. The findings of the study can be used by state and regional authorities in allocating admission quotas for MLS training in specific AGSTs. They can also aid in making decisions to enhance the alignment of the training structure with the prospective needs of the regional economy in the system of secondary vocational education.