Competence can be viewed from several perspectives. Substantive competence refers to professional and technical skills, such as language skills, programming skills or nursing methods. Specialized knowledge and expertise often arise through years of experience and can be related to legislation, research methodology or project management, for example. Alongside these, meta- or generic skills – such as problem solving, learning to learn, time management and interaction skills – are playing an increasingly central role in the rapidly changing working world.
The University of Oulu has also defined generic skills that will be included in all degrees. These are: 1) analytical, critical and creative thinking skills, 2) well-being and self-development skills, 3) international and multicultural skills, 4) sustainability, responsibility and ethics skills, 5) multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills and 6) communication, interaction and digital skills.
Contextual skills, i.e. the ability to act in different environments and the networks that the expert utilizes, are an important but often less considered part of competence. Competence is not only what you know, but also how, where and with whom you know how to act.
Identifying and articulating one's own competence can be surprisingly challenging. Often, tacit knowledge or social skills developed in everyday life go unnoticed because they are not always perceived as “real” competence. Cultural or personality factors, modesty or insufficient feedback can also prevent competence from being made visible.
Competence is also always individual. Different people learn different things from new experiences and knowledge. Competence is built on an existing knowledge base: we connect new knowledge to the old foundation. This foundation is formed in each person's own way, through their own experiences and their own history. It also guides them to pay attention, get motivated and develop their competence in a certain direction.
You can start mapping your own skills, for example, by reflecting on previous work and learning experiences, asking for feedback, or using skills profile tools, such as portfolios or skills maps. It is also worth breaking down the skills acquired over different periods of time into smaller parts: for example, you can consider what all the work involved in a particular project. Discussions with colleagues, supervisors, or your own close circle can also help you see your own strengths in a new light.
Developing competence is a continuous process that requires curiosity and courage. It does not always mean a new degree – it can often mean learning a new perspective, working with a new kind of team or even networking with experts in another field. It is also the ability to question one’s own perceptions and be open to different perspectives, making observations and conclusions. When we learn to recognize our competence in a diverse way, we also learn to value ourselves as experts and to make our competence visible to others.
Competence and abilities are not immutable. Competence also includes competence and skills that we are not particularly good at. Often, sufficient skills are enough. These are also areas for development and competence is strengthened with a flexible attitude, effort and practice. Even the best professionals have been novices at the beginning.
Author:
Virpi Pietikäinen, MA, M.Ed., Education Designer, Kerttu Saalasti Institute, University of Oulu
Photo: Pixabay / congerdesign
In Kerttu Saalasti Institute's blog we write about the topics of the Institute's research groups, micro entrepreneurship education and the Institute's general topics. The authors are researchers, experts and members of networks.
Our topics are: micro entrenepreneurship, future manufacturing technologies, regional excellence, micro entrepreneurship education