The article analyses the opinion of technologists in processing enterprises of the Stavropol Territory on the importance of social responsibility and professional competence of workers and how this is reflected in the actual competence profile of the Federal State Educational Standard for graduates of higher education programs. In the quality management system for training future process technologists, the analysis of actual required competencies in the production processes versus to needed competencies of the staff, is a determining factor to be able to update the content of educational programs. The level of professional competence is characterized by different aspects in the business and personal qualities of the specialist: it is reflected in the level of knowledge, skills, and experience needed to achieve the goal in a particular type of professional activity, as well as the moral position of the specialist. These aspects together are reflected in the social responsibility of a process technologist in processing enterprises and ensuring the quality and safety of food products. The opinion of the professional community confirms this viewpoint.

Solving of environmental problems in the modern world is impossible without scientifically based knowledge about the system of social-nature interactions. At the same time, the idea of coevolution of man, society and nature is a priority. Ecological knowledge is an integral component of the spiritual mastery of reality. Ecological activities, considered as a praxiological component of culture, have as their main task formation, accumulation, mastering and translation of collective values based on the principles of ecocentrism. A special interest in the functioning of the mechanism of social-nature interaction is determined by the formation of ecology aimed at deepening of its social aspects. This leads to the need for philosophical analysis of the bases and patterns of the formation of ecological knowledge, goals of civilization development and means of their achievement, importance of global processes in social-nature existence, conditions enabling sustainable development.

The article presents the results of a study of the value orientations of specialists with higher education working in the region and representing such professional communities as IT specialists, mechanical engineers, food technologists, veterinarians and financial economists. The analysis of the influence of value orientations on attitudes to corporate social responsibility and within the boundaries of the professional community has been carried out.Corporate social responsibility is considered as an indicator of the overall image of the organization and an integral part of the corporate culture, which cannot be fully realized in practice, if not shared by members of workers, production teams, formal and, as a rule, informal leaders of which are specialists with higher education.At the level of statistical observations the professional community's understanding of the importance of professional social responsibility with localization within specific enterprises and a high status value is "own safety and the safety of others" and "wellbeing of loved ones" in the system of value orientations of professional communities of the region was obtained.The professional community of specialists describes at the level of competencies the high significance of various types of social and professional responsibility; accordingly, they are determined by their own professional activity and responsibility.

The article describes the modern vision of the category of “life self-determination” on the example of graduates of engineering and biotechnology programs of a regional university. As part of the study, a review of scientific articles was carried out. We formulated theoretical and instrumental approaches that are relevant for the present time, they are: ensuring a high level of primary professional self-identification of university graduates and high satisfaction with professional competencies; creating conditions for the manifestation of prosocial behavior, satisfaction with the psychological comfort of interpersonal and group interactions; the formed need to participate in the modernization and creation of their modern living environment, including updating the content of the rural way of life; raising awareness among young people about the professions in demand, the needs and priorities of the digital society to develop lifelong learning skills. They provide understanding and modeling of youth policy in the field of professional and life self-determination and contribute to the solution of the state task set in the Decree “On the national development goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030”.