New Skills for VET Teachers

Abstract 

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In this article we share some initial ideas on Vocational education and training (VET) teacher’s role in supporting their student’s holistic competence development in a context of workplace learning. VET’s one aim is to support lifelong, life wide and continuous learning by providing students with skills and competences that are needed in further studies, world of work and life. Changes in the societies and the labour market, accelerated by the rapid technological development, require continuous learning opportunities for everybody.   

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This article is written inspired by a workshop of the New Skills for VET Teachers -project and the discussions round workplace learning and teacher’s competence development. 

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Future competence and competence development  

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 A rising demand to increase everybody’s future competence is essential as the skills needed in the future are rapidly renewing. In the future, adequate generic or 21st century skills and more importantly, motivation, opportunities and the ability to develop one’s competence will become even more important. Everybody should have the knowledge how to develop their competencies as everyone’s skills should be up-to-date.  In VET, competence development occurs in near connection to the world of work. However, it is important not to forget education and personal growth in a broader meaning, as a possibility to develop one’s competence and generic skills. (Billett and Pavlova, 2005, p. 196) In this article we study the role of VET and VET teachers in a broader meaning, not just responding to the needs of labour market.  

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The framework of this article is visualized in Figure 1 Holistic competence development in a context of workplace learning (Visualization: Sanna Heino, 2021) 

  

 

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Continuous learning and competence identity  

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There is not a clear system yet for supporting continuous learning in Finland, but the requirements for continuous learning have impact on the education and guidance provided in Finnish VET. (Finnish Government, 2020; Ministry of Education and Culture, n.d.). From the perspective of VET, matters such as labour market mismatch, Finland’s economics and demand on sustainable growth might cause ethical pressure on VET teachers. In this article the concept of continuous learning is studied from the perspectives of the opportunities of individuals´ active agency, viewing it as the proactive development of competence and as a future civic skill.    

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Reforms in the world of work, society and education affect VET students as well as their teachers. Due to these changes, both students and teachers have to update their own work and competence identity. Competence identity can be seen as a process where new competence is acquired and developed. Interaction with others is important as competence identity is linked and intertwined to work and interpretations of work (Raudasoja and others, 2021) and therefore workplace learning is essential part of supporting holistic competence development. In previous studies (cf. Raudasoja and Rinne 2018; Raudasoja and others 2021) it is stated that VET student’s social interaction with peers, together with guidance and support from teachers and workplace instructors emerged as the most important form of developing competence identity.   

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How about VET teachers? What kind of support and interaction would benefit them in order to meet future competence objectives and motivate them to develop their competencies and skills? From the perspective of agency and dynamic process of competence building, it is important that the teachers recognise their own competence and are able to set goals related to their competence and work practices. Building a competence identity is a multidimensional, multi-layered, dynamic process that extends through the whole of life and involves the individual as an active agent in identifying their own competence. Cooperation between workplace instructors and VET teachers is required to enable continuous learning and support the development of student’s competence identity.  

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Collaboration and workplace learning  

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VET Teachers and workplace instructors have often different educational backgrounds and work histories. It is important to understand and respect that each person involved in student’s workplace learning examines student’s competence development from the perspective of their own context. There might become some unclear situations, concerning the roles between different parties/actors who participate in guidance of VET students. For example, workplace instructors expect that VET institutions are responsible for teaching their student’s essential substance and generic skills before students start their on-the-job learning. At the same time VET teachers see the on-the-job-learning as a suitable way to develop student’s soft skills and transferable skills. It is important that each actor recognise the limits of their own competence and expertise. By close collaboration and co-operation across disciplinary, occupational and role boundaries this can be achieved.  

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VET teachers support student’s access to the world of work in many ways. They carry out cooperation projects with companies, guide the students to apply for occasional work, visit various recruitment events and sometimes teachers can even receive calls from companies asking if students were available for work. Teachers often use all their available networks to support the students in their transitions to world of work or further education.  

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In discussions with NSVETT project partners arose, that skills that are needed from VET teachers in supporting their student’s competence development are actually the same as for supporting teacher’s own competence development:  

  

• ability to treat students/teachers as individuals, to identify the strengths and skills of students/teachers.   

• ability to help students/teachers in building and recognizing their competence  

• ability to understand that learning can also come from work and life, not only through education  

• ability to build a safe environment for learning  

• ability to recognize students/teachers learning styles and to let the students/teachers find solutions and learn by themselves.   

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All these aspects require transversal skills, innovative mindset and ability to unlearn from traditional methods and to adapt the new models of learning. Trusting the students and their teachers was seen as a key factor in order to provide future oriented competence development.  

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VET can provide a framework for multidisciplinary and holistic guidance and support, that encompasses the whole life. Students learning processes often involve many different actors, including student counsellors, instructors and teachers at VET institutions, instructors for work-based learning, and the student's family and friends (cf. Barnes et al., 2020; Musset & Kurekova, 2018). It is therefore essential to consider how these different actors can contribute to supporting the student's agency in relation to students different learning needs.   

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Acquiring competence in the workplace is often the most meaningful experience for the students. It increases their self-efficacy and support the student in developing positive agency and their competence identity. But how about VET teachers? How could their competencies, competence identity and self-efficacy best be developed in their work and in the context of guiding their student’s workplace learning?  VET teachers have a key role in implementing educational change and reforming work practices. They need the competence to guide their students towards continuous learning. Ideally VET teachers do not feel they need to, but they actually want to transfer one’s knowledge and expertise for students and motivate them to learn more. It is essential that VET teachers pay attention to their own competence identity, motivational drivers and their suppositions on learning and future competencies.  

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A solid competence identity might help VET teachers in constructing their role as an expert, professional or learner in different work communities and in reflecting and developing their own competencies (cf. Ferm, 2021; Jarvis-Selinger et al, 2012; Raudasoja et al, 2019). Competence identity can be seen like a process of growing towards something (Vieno and others, 2017), never finished or finalized.   

  

Authors  

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Soili Rinne is a Senior Lecturer at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), HAMK Edu Research Unit. She works in New Skills for VET Teachers project as a project manager.  

Antti Viiman is a Project Coordinator at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), HAMK Edu Research Unit. He is a member of the New Skills for VET Teachers project team.  

  

References  

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Barnes, S.-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Kettunen, J., & Vuorinen, R. (2020). Lifelong guidance policy and practice in the EU: trends, challenges and opportunities. Final report. European Commission; Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2767/91185   

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Billett, S., & Pavlova, M. (2005). Learning through working life: self and individuals’ agentic action. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 24(3), 195–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370500134891  

Christiansen, C. H. (1999). Defining lives: Occupation as identity: An essay on competence, coherence, and the creation of meaning. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53(6), 547–558. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.53.6.547   

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Ferm, L. (2021). Vocational Students’ Ways of Handling the Academic/Vocational Divide. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET) 2021, Vol. 8, Issue 1, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.13152/IJRVET.8.1.1   

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Finnish Government (2020). Strategy for Lifelong Guidance 2020–2023 National Lifelong Guidance Forum. Publications of Finnish Government 2020:34. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-536-8    

Jarvis-Selinger, S. & Pratt, D. D. & Regehr, G. (2012). Competency Is Not Enough: Integrating Identity Formation Into the Medical Education Discourse. Academic Medicine, 87(9), 1185–1190. http://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182604968   

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Ministry of Education and Culture. (n.d.). Strategy: Lifelong guidance to support people on educational and career paths. https://minedu.fi/en/-/1410877/strategy-lifelong-guidance-to-support-people-on-educational-and-career-paths   

Musset, P. & Kurekova, L. M. (2018). Working it out: Career guidance and employer engagement. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 175, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/51c9d18d-en   

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Raudasoja, A. & Rinne, S. (2018). Opettajien osaamisen kehittyminen kohti uutta osaamisidentiteettiä [Vocational teachers’ competences are developing towards a new competence identity]. HAMK Unlimited Journal. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020111790780  

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Raudasoja, A., Heino, S. & Rinne, S. (2019). Osaamisidentiteetin rakentuminen ammatillisessa koulutuksessa [VET students’ competences are developing towards a new competence identity]. HAMK Unlimited Journal. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020111690407   

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Vieno, A., Helander, J. & Saari, J. (2017). Osaamisperusteisuudesta osaamisidentiteettiin [From competence-based education towards competence identity]. HAMK Unlimited Journal. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020111790836