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Examines the nature of professional competence, using the field of Internal Audit as an exemplar. Attempts to describe the professionalization process and thus the context in which the concept is normally encountered. Reviews the nature and influence of pressures for change currently affecting the Internal Audit profession. Examines the differing approaches to the definition and interpretation of professional competence, including the consideration of the factors which underpin it and the role therein played by knowledge. Considers current UK and US proposals and developments in Internal Auditor education in the light of conclusions drawn from the preceding sections. Concludes that it is likely that a major influential role will be played by current developments in NVQ methodology and that, at least in the short term, a case study approach to teaching and assessment would be beneficial. It further posits that there will be, in all probability, a major role to be played in the future by formally structured workplace based competence led assessment.

The purpose of this paper is to explore what professional knowledge and competence (PKC) that knowledgeable others, namely, mathematics teaching research specialists (MTRS) in China, need to know, and how they may develop their PKC.

This study adopts mixed methods. A survey on PKC with 549 MTRS is utilized to examine MTRS’ perceived held and ideal PKC and perceived effective ways of developing their PKC. The responses to the open-ended questions on the survey were used to identify additional dimensions of PKC and ways of developing PKC. Multiple techniques of quantitative data analysis were employed to feature the characteristics of PKC and structure of the survey, and the relationship between background variables and perception of PKC. Collectively, this study paints a rich and comprehensive picture about Chinese knowledgeable others’ knowledge and competence, and its development.

The data analysis reveals that the participants appreciated the six-dimension model of MTRS’ PKC. They were confident with their PKC in general, but varied in different aspects. The factor analysis showed the six-dimension model could be further clustered into two components: knowledge about mathematics teaching and learning and competence in mentoring and educational leadership, and knowledge about content, assessing student learning, and use of technology. The participants perceived their learning through multiple ways including: learning through reading, attending specific training programs, attending and mentoring teaching research activities both school-based and across regions, observing and debriefing lessons, sharing within online learning communities. All these venues jointly contribute to developing MTRS’ PKC.

This is the first empirical study on MTRS’ PKC and its development in China based on such a large sample. The findings of this study not only contribute to an understanding of knowledgeable others in Chinese lesson study and providing suggestions for support of their development, but also provide implications for studies of practice-based mathematics teacher-educators globally.

Reviews a range of theories, concepts and learning approaches that are relevant to the development of professionals. Goes on to take a look at how professionals actually learn, once they are in practice. The latter is based on empirical research conducted across 20 professions. Reports on the range of experiences and events that practitioners had found particularly formative in helping them become fully competent professionals; this point often not having been reached until long after their formal professional training had ended. An attempt is made to relate the formative experiences reported to particular theoretical approaches to learning. The experiences are classified into a number of general kinds of “learning mechanism” and these are placed within a “taxonomy of informal professional learning methods”. The results of the research should be of use both to professional developers and to individual professionals. They should assist developers in their planning of placements or post‐formal training. They should help individual professionals to maximise their professional learning, by seeking out particular kinds of experience and making the most of those that come their way.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the ways in which postgraduate study in vocational fields supports the development of advanced competences amongst mid‐career professionals.

The extensive written communications between health and safety professionals taking a postgraduate course in health and safety management and their tutor were investigated to determine the competence domains where learning was taking place or attempted. The individual written communications were analysed and each issue raised allocated to a learning area. The quantitative results for each area were determined. The learning areas were assigned to one or more competence development domains.

The quantified results demonstrate that the main domain where mid‐career professionals on this postgraduate course were most strongly challenged to learn and develop in advanced competences was the meta‐competence domain on the Cheetham and Chivers model.

This study was based on written communications passing between a limited number of students and one tutor on a single postgraduate study programme. There is clearly great scope to extend this form of research given the large number of postgraduate vocational study programmes now undertaken by mid‐career professionals.

Tutors need to focus strongly on supporting the very demanding learning leading to the growth of meta‐competencies. Given the ready availability of relevant factual information to mid‐career professionals in the information age, there is much less need to focus on teaching facts, although supporting the interpretation and application of such factual information by students retains great importance.

Few other studies exist which attempt to analyse written communications between tutors and postgraduate students on professional/vocational courses in terms of how such courses are developing professional competences.

This account aims to introduce contrasting perspectives on teaching and learning methods, and to detail the growth of new forms and vocabularies of access to learning. As we move towards the new millennium, the development of national, yet diversified, credit frameworks and systems will provide an essential underpinning for the organisational culture that will be needed to sustain the wellbeing and growth of the educational system. These new systems are already being incorporated into the practice of ‘virtual’ education. Lifelong learning has widespread support across the social and political spectrum and its importance can hardly be over‐stated as we seek to maintain competitiveness in a changing world. Increasing knowledge and understanding to serve both the needs of the economy and of individuals to play a major role in democratic life has become an agenda of necessity as well as desire. An open society requires open systems of knowledge. A prognosis for the future is submitted where the significance of part‐time modular and open flexible learning is evaluated in terms of a curriculum rooted in useful knowledge and competences, acquired at different sites of learning, including the workplace. It is argued that modular structures, using the potential offered by credit accumulation and transfer to different institutions with different missions, can transcend and transform the learning opportunities for students in a mass system of higher education which is rapidly becoming part of a global market economy and society. Continuous lifelong learning involving its key features of open access, recognition of learning wherever it takes place and the growth of new learning networks and partnerships, is at the conceptual heart of the development of the virtual university.

The aim of this paper is to describe registered nurses' (RNs') ways of working and their views on what competence they require, make use of and wish to develop when caring for older people at residential facilities.

The participants comprised 23 RNs, trained after 1993 and working at seven residential facilities. The data collection consists of group interviews during spring 2009. The group interviews were subjected to content analysis.

Three main categories and six sub‐categories were identified. The findings show that the majority of RNs work in a consultative way although they are responsible for basic care as well as advanced nursing care. They must rely on the staff's competence. They compare the residential facilities to a “mini‐hospital” and they are often frustrated by the staff's incompetence. Attitudes to research findings and to the use of evidence‐based knowledge were limited.

RNs require extensive theoretical, technical and medical knowledge as well as knowledge related to persons with dementia conditions and psychiatric disorders and how to lead, teach and supervise.

Social and professional isolation influences competence development and working situation and the differences in leadership influence the quality of nursing care. RNs do not critically reflect on what knowledge they require and make use of and how to search for scientific knowledge and this will have a negative influence on the attitude to the competence.

There is a need of extensive and varied knowledge in evidence‐based nursing as well as in leadership and teaching to be able to work independently.

The paper's aim is to present a critical review of the current European process of co‐operation in VET with a special view to the European Qualification Framework and its competence orientation.

The approach reviews the official documentation and the consultation process and a contrastive analysis of the state of the art of research and developments in VET.

In order to make European VET a direct contribution to the revised Lisbon agenda, a more concise shared vision with regard to the processes and structures of vocational education might be needed.

It does not seem possible logically and pragmatically to fully abstract from the processes in which competence is acquired and in which it is going to be used.

Research and development activities in the European Union should be integrated towards an agenda that covers structures, conditions and processes of learning for the world of work.

Apart from a few other contributions, critical accounts of current policies and its implications for research and practice are scarce.

The purpose of the research project was to study aspects of the competence of age care managers, and how they develop their leadership in residential facilities.

The participants comprised 13 age care managers (ACMs) from 13 different residential facilities. Ten of the residential facilities were located in a large municipality and three in small municipalities. On average they had 19 years of experience of caring for old people. The ages of the respondents varied from 40 to 63 years. Individual, semi‐structured interviews were chosen. The data were subjected to content analysis. Two main categories and six subcategories were generated.

The ACMs had different educational backgrounds and very few had university courses in management, implying an insufficient theoretical knowledge of leadership. There are several ways of learning leadership, for example model learning, collective learning, learning by experience and through theoretical education. Model learning is the dominant form. By being present ACMs create relationships; they check the quality of social and health care, as well as the behaviour of the staff towards residents, relatives and colleagues, which seems to be valuable in order to avoid conflicts.

The strength of the study is that the participants come from different workplaces, small and large municipalities and residential facilities. They have long experience of working as a leader and have a variety of professional backgrounds. Thirteen ACMs is not that many, but as they differ in professional background, education and workplace, the amount of data was considered sufficient. Some of the ACMs have difficulties in expressing how they learn leadership, because the “knowhow” is sometimes problematic to describe in words.

Theoretical education was mentioned as crucial for learning leadership.

ACMs' interest in competence development is weak. They seem to be more interested in motivating and inspiring their staff's learning process than their own.

The aims and learning outcomes of the sandwich year are generally still loosely defined, poorly supported, rarely assessed and only in exceptional circumstances influence degree classification.The paper reports the findings of a major DfEE funded study into the BA Business Studies sandwich year. It concludes that if the potential for learning of the sandwich year is to be fully realised it needs to be defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competences. The definition of knowledge used must be carefully framed to include forms not always recognised by universities in the past. Developments outside the universities with Key Skills and Occupational Standards offer nationally recognised reference points “known” to employers that should not be ignored.

The purpose of this paper is to establish a typology of a profession and to then assess the circumstances under which management could be classified as a profession against such a typology.

The current paper is conceptual. The research approach consists of formulating a typology of a profession based on the literature research methodology. The resulting typology is applied to assess management as a profession.

Although there have been efforts in recent literature and media commentary to position management as a profession, no thorough conceptually based analysis to rigorously analyze nor test this claim against the dominant arguments in the literature has been undertaken. The typology presents comprehensive research and analysis across disciplines to identify the circumstances under which management could be considered a profession.

The paper offers a complete typology upon which to classify a profession. It provides highly supported arguments to discern elements of a profession. The key limitation lies in capturing and organizing extensive concepts and views across diverse literature disciplines to refine a holistic perspective (i.e. accountancy, business management, ethics, psychology and sociology).

This conceptual typology enables the design of a highly operable assessment system. It considers requisite standards for professions. It also informs potential professional bodies of the obligations to which they and their members must adhere to achieve and retain the status of a profession.

A comprehensive typology indicating the interdependent requirements and obligations required by a profession has not been espoused in either popular business journals or academic journals across the discipline areas now covered by this research investigation. The contribution provides a comprehensive academic argument to answer the question: can management be considered a profession?