On December 29, 2020 a meeting of the working (project) group of the educational and scientific program 015 Vocational Education with the participation of Doctors of Pedagogical Sciences, Professors of the Department of Pedagogy Koycheva Tetyana Ivanivna and Osipova Tetyana Yuriyivna, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Olga Anatoliyivna Galitsan took place. The discussion was joined by the Head of the Department of Pedagogy, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor Iryna Anatoliyivna Knyazheva. The meeting was devoted to the analysis and discussion of the dynamics of training of applicants for educational and scientific level in the specialty 015 Vocational Education (candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy). The members of the project group expressed their position on the state of preparation of dissertation research, presented their views on the procedure and content of pre-defense graduate student of the Department of Pedagogy Orda Kateryna Serhiivna. The opinions and suggestions expressed were useful in the work of both supervisors and graduate students.