Current challenges and staffing issues 
in the implementation of engineering and technological education for schoolchildren in Russia and abroad

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of current challenges and staffing issues in the implementation of engineering and technological education for schoolchildren in the Russian Federation and abroad. The study examines state-level strategic challenges and reveals a significant shortage of pedagogical personnel, as well as systemic competency gaps among educators in project-based engineering and technological activities, insufficient development of methodologies for fostering engineering thinking, integration of subject content within STEM/STEAM education frameworks, and limited mastery of digital modeling technologies. A comparative analysis of regulatory documents in general education and educational programs in higher and secondary professional teacher education demonstrates a substantial gap between requirements for school graduates and teachers' readiness to meet these requirements. The article addresses methodological and didactic challenges related to the necessity of integrating contemporary engineering concepts and implementing an interdisciplinary approach. A comparative analysis is presented examining Russian and foreign systems of teacher preparation for engineering and technological education, using the United States and European Union as examples. The scientific novelty of the research lies in its comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to analyzing the problem of preparing pedagogical personnel for engineering and technological education, integrating state educational policy, workforce situation, professional education content, and international experience. The research findings can be utilized in designing educational programs for primary school teacher preparation, developing professional standards, and formulating state programs for pedagogical education development. This work was conducted as part of a state assignment from the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation (Project No. 125101711745-9: "Transformation of Pedagogical Personnel Training to Ensure Implementation of Engineering and Technological Education for Schoolchildren in General and Additional Education Programs under Contemporary Challenges").