The Competency Model

Competency-based approaches have dominated vocational-education systems in many countries in recent decades. The introduction of this approach has been justified by the desire of education to meet the needs of industry better – though many educationalists have been critical of this approach, assuming that it neglects the role of knowledge in occupational performance. However, there is not one single understanding of how to conceptualize competence. A common misunderstanding of competence is to link it exclusively to the performance of tasks. Another approach is to think of competence as the generic attributes that underpin performance. A preferred way is to link these two approaches and to see competence in terms of knowledge, abilities, skills, and dispositions displayed in the context of an appropriate sample of professional/vocational tasks. In recent years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has mounted a research project to determine the competencies that are needed for a successful life in the current century and international standardized tests such as Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have also adopted a competency approach. Nevertheless, many issues, for example, the relation of curriculum to competencies remain unresolved. Notwithstanding these issues, competency approaches are flourishing in a large number of countries at the present time in both vocational and professional education.