ABSTRACT
This article is devoted to the transformation of Russian education system in accordance with the requests of the new technological scheme of the economy. The global economy has changed dramatically during an extremely short period of time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All levels of the economy and people’s behavior have been modified, and according to experts, these changes are almost irreversible. In this situation, there is a need not only to change the management system of all levels of economic systems, but also to transform education, especially Russian higher education system, due to the fact that now Russian education has two simultaneous tasks: to adapt to the changes that have occurred under the influence of the pandemic and to increase the prestige of Russian universities in the international educational space. Universal scientific methods were used in this research process, including comparative and factor analysis methods, synthesis, and generalization. Achievements: 1. In the article the current trends in the development of the Russian economy in the context of the pandemic and the entry of innovative technologies in all areas of economic relations were analyzed, which have an impact on the formation of new labor market demands. 2. The specific features and problematic aspects of the current system of Russian education, which are slowing down the processes of its transformation, are identified. 3. It is justified, that the higher education system itself should correspond to the smart development model, focused on the adoption of a new paradigm of economic decision-making, on the application of progressive organizational and managerial, informational, environmental, social and other technologies to achieve this goal. 4. The positive practices, which demonstrate advanced domestic higher education institutions, are described. They fit into emerging new markets and correspond to consumer’s sentiment and expectations, taking into account the emerging professions of the future and the increasing complexity of professional tasks. 5. The main trajectories of restructuring Russian education to meet the needs in the innovative economy are made, in general, and to ensure the current basic training of graduates, in particular, to achieve their competitiveness in the labor market. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.