Abstract
The article explores contemporary trends in foreign-language higher education with an emphasis on how professionally-oriented competence is formed. Mainly, the article considers the reasons for the shift to the competence-based approach in higher education, overviewing the tendencies which take place in contemporary competence formation. Different types of competence are considered parallelly, including communicative, sociocultural, search-research, basic etc. The aim of the research is to theoretically substantiate and practically develop a model to the formation of foreign-language professionally-oriented competence in higher education and classify the outcomes of competence formation in learners. Approaches to the formation of professionally-oriented competence are considered and reviewed. Based on that, a model of professionally-oriented competence formation process is synthesized. The model covers both the theoretical and practical component of the mentioned competence along with their methods, tools, and outcomes, and also the general results of developing this competence in learners. The methods of theoretical and critical analysis, synthesis, and modeling are utilized. The novelty of this research lies in the practical character of the proposed model. Hence, the research outcomes may be used in further analysis and in the educational process. The findings are also significant for advancing the theoretical framework of competence-based education and have practical implications for enhancing teaching strategies in Kazakhstan and beyond.