Competence-based Approaches: A discussion of issues for professional groups

An increasing number of professional groups are adopting some form of competence-based approach to education and training. Despite their increasing popularity, there remains a fierce debate in the academic literature as to the appropriateness of such approaches for the professions. This paper explores how the teaching, engineering, medical and management professions are using competence-based approaches in the workplace. Some of the key difficulties of the competence-based approach as identified in the literature are examined from a perspective rooted in the practice of these four professional groups.