Today, in the context of the transformation of the education system, the formation of universal skills among future specialists is of great importance. The relevance of the article lies in the need to introduce complex psychological and pedagogical foundations in the development of flexible skills (soft skills) among students of higher educational institutions in the process of mastering the vocational education program.

The purpose of the article is to determine the psychological and pedagogical foundations for the development of flexible skills (soft skills) of students in the conditions of vocational education in a higher educational institution.

The methodological basis of our research is a personal approach, which involves taking into account the individual characteristics of each subject. In addition, the activity approach and the systematic approach in pedagogy are focused on the comprehensive study of flexible skills in the context of internal and external conditions affecting the structure of personality. The provisions of the acmeological and level approaches are also considered.

In this article, based on the analysis of scientific papers on the features of flexible skills, the significance of the study of these skills and the need for their development in future specialists, which is dictated by the process of globalization, was substantiated. As a result of the evaluation of the structural components of flexible skills, the need for further experimental work on the development of flexible skills in students of higher education was justified. The result of this study is a theoretical justification of the importance of the formation of flexible skills of students at the university.

The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the data obtained are the theoretical basis for the development of a special program aimed at the development of flexible skills in the conditions of vocational education in higher education. In addition, the systematized information on the research problem can be used as a material for improving the programs of social and intellectual development of a person in the conditions of professional formation.

The practical significance of this article focuses on the use of the results of theoretical analysis in improving the training programs of future specialists for professional activity. As a result, the future specialist will have a high level of professionalism, psychological flexibility in the process of adaptation to intensive changes, as well as young specialists will learn how to effectively distribute and structure information and will own an information and communication culture.

Keywords: flexible skills, professional education, emotional intelligence, higher school, cognitive flexibility, leadership skills