ISSUES OF INTELLECTUAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF GENERATION ALPHA IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

This article, based on a comparative approach, analyzes the issues of early vocational guidance for Generation Alpha, who are being shaped in a digital environment, as well as ensuring their intellectual development within the educational process. The study reveals the limitations of an approach that focuses primarily on developing vocational skills. In particular, it substantiates risks related to the changing content of occupations and shifting job requirements due to rapid transformations in the labor market. At the same time, drawing on academic evidence, the article demonstrates that developing intellectual competencies—such as critical and creative thinking, flexible decision-making in problem situations, and digital literacy—is a key factor for Generation Alpha’s long-term professional success. The paper concludes that vocational guidance and intellectual development should be organized not as opposing goals but as integrated and mutually reinforcing processes, and it offers practical and methodological recommendations for the education system.