Economic changes not only in the country, but also in the global labor market explain the increasing requirements to young specialists. There are new requirements to the model and quality of the graduate, new approaches to their competitiveness and efficiency. XXI century universities must graduate prepared specialists, who are able to adapt to the labor market and are ready for new changes, for self education, which in turn determines the meaning and function of higher education not "for life", but "during the whole life". Qualitatively new mission, the objectives and content of modern education in the new conditions is intended to be focused not just on the fundamental knowledge, but on the labor market, and on the formation of a practically oriented skills and competencies. The article discusses the conceptual content and structure of competences and competencies in different countries, the problem of professional competence is analyzed on the example of the United States, European countries, Russia and Kazakhstan.