The paper presents the state of the problem of competence development of social work specialists in the process of training. The concept of "communicative competence of a future specialist in social work" has been clarified.

At the theoretical and empirical level, the properties of personality that determine the development of communicative competence of students are revealed, the possibilities of their development by specially organized means are grounded. The peculiarities of links between the level of communicative competence development and empathy, internationality and reflexivity are revealed.

The indicators of personality properties influencing the level of manifestation of the competent type of behavior in communication have been concretized. The necessity and possibility to promote a higher level of development of communicative competence due to specially organized psychological support of development of personal properties in students in combination with the existing system of professional education has been proved.

It is addressed to psychologists, teachers, who study the problems of professional training of specialists of social work, specialists who are engaged in the determination of quality of education while monitoring the results of training in the process of examination of universities. .