In present time the development of partnership between education and employment is becoming increasingly important. The interaction between professional education institutions and employers appears as an integral part of social partnership. In this context, this article aims to identify the features of social partnership as a mechanism for the education and production integration. The paper presents the objectives, tasks, principles, forms, benefits (for the students of the professional education institutions and the occupational sector), the criteria and performance indicators of social partnership, the key directions of its progression. The article findings can be valuable for the heads of the secondary and higher vocational education institutions, representatives of the manufacturing sector as well as for the researchers concerned with the issues of integration of education and production.