Competence-based VET in the Netherlands: background and pitfalls

Abstract

In the Dutch Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, competence-based education is the leading paradigm for innovation, both at the system level and at the level of learning environments. This article provides an historical analysis of the development of competence-based education in various countries and explores the concept of competence and its popularity. Possible pitfalls with respect to the concept of competence, standardisation, school and workplace learning, determining learning activities, assessment of competencies, changing teacher roles/identity and competence-based management will be discussed. Taking these pitfalls into account, roads for future development will be sketched. A learning policy connecting governance, practice and research is believed to be the most fruitful way to develop flexible VET systems that are suited to the emerging knowledge-based economy.

Students' personal professional theories in competence‐based vocational education: the construction of personal knowledge through internalisation and socialisation

“…For a formative application function of PPTs, a valid and reliable measurement and assessment procedure needs to be developed (Biemans et al 2004;Tillema, Kessels, and Meijers 2000). The personal nature of PPTs has serious implications for the development of assessment procedures and instruments.…”

“…Competences are conceived as more or less organised wholes of knowledge, skills and attitudes (Lizzio and Wilson 2004;van der Sanden and Teurlings 2003) that are required for adequate fulfilment of professional tasks (Eraut 1994;Hager and Gonczi 1991). The underlying idea is that in competencebased vocational education students develop competences that are needed in (future) professions as well as for lifelong learning (Biemans et al 2004). The development of professional competences is a main objective of competence-based vocational education.…”

Towards an integrated model for developing sustainable assessment skills

“…For example, when a student performs a learning task in which communication with the client is important, and it appears that his/her communication skills are not meeting pre-defined criteria, the student needs some additional practice and should select learning tasks that provide precisely this kind of practice. Discontentment with the gap between higher vocational education and the workplace (Biemans et al 2004) has encouraged educational institutions to implement learning tasks based on authentic, real-life situations in their vocational curricula. The fruitful use of authentic learning tasks presumes that assessment tasks also resemble real-life professional tasks, because competence-based education and competence-based assessment must go hand in hand (Dochy, Segers, and Sluijsmans 1999).…”

“…The necessity to improve transitions from higher education to the workplace and the need to better prepare students for future job demands have encouraged educational institutions to implement competence-based curricula. Such curricula focus on the development of professional skills rather than presenting diplomas based on completed courses, thereby replacing an emphasis on qualifications with an emphasis on capabilities (Biemans et al 2004). Furthermore, a discipline-based approach is replaced by an integrated approach with a stronger focus on providing authentic learning experiences aimed at the development of competences needed for successful job performance (Tillema, Kessels, and Meijers 2000).…”

Explicating Students' Personal Professional Theories in Vocational Education through Multi-method Triangulation

“…In doing so, vocational schools in for example Australia, Germany and the Netherlands are currently developing competence-based curricula in which vocational core competences are used to construct competence-based qualification structures and profiles (Biemans, Nieuwenhuis, Poell, Mulder, & Wesselink, 2004;Guile, 2009). Competence-based vocational education aims to bridge economic demands and individual learning needs of students in order to stimulate the development and integration of students' knowledge, skills and attitudes (Brockman, Clarke, Mèhaut, & Winch, 2008).…”