The main directions of economic, social and cultural changes caused by the rapid development of economy, whose result is the disappearance of some and the appearance of other professions, cause increased demand for employees with higher and higher qualifications. Thus, an important change in the socio-professional life in the 21st century is a significant increase in occupational mobility, forced by the development and globalization of the economy, engineering and technology, as well as the disparities between countries. Education systems must address the key skills that make people capable of changing careers, raise their level of understanding of technology, provide the basis for the required competence in an international work environment. The world has entered an era in which the ability to create knowledge, to acquire and process information has become a fundamental way to economic success. Understanding and determining mechanisms of knowledge influence on the transformation and development of the economy is a key issue – especially for knowledge-based economies.