Books. Competency-based Education and Training: A World Perspective

Citation

(2002), "Books. Competency-based Education and Training: A World Perspective", Education + Training, Vol. 44 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2002.00444bad.003

Books. Competency-based Education and Training: A World Perspective

Competency-based Education and Training: A World Perspective

Antonio Arguelles and Andrew Gonczi (Eds)Noriega2001ISBN 9 681 86113 2Keywords Education, Training, Competences

All the countries which have introduced competency-based education in the last 20 years have done so in the recognition that international economic competitiveness has sharpened the need to have a well educated, innovative workforce. What remains unclear, however, is the extent to which the new approach to vocational education and training has succeeded in its aims. Competency-Based Education and Training examines the implementation of competency-based education in Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica, France and New Zealand. It shows how this approach to vocational education and training has been developed at national level, but there are also examples of pilot projects within educational systems, and examples, too, of implementation in particular industries and specific firms.

The book reveals that there have been a number of problems in the implementation of competency-based education in all the countries studied. There has not always been unanimity of purpose between government, industry and educationalists. In Australia, for example, a nationally determined system with prescriptive standards has been replaced by one in which individual firms work within a national framework to develop their own competencies and their own training and assessment regimes. In Costa Rica, the need to involve those delivering competency-based programmes – the teachers – in planning the reforms was not taken into account. Even where this has been done, the book reveals that there is no guarantee of success. In Australia, for example, the delivery of training has increasingly been tendered out to industry trainers and private training providers.

The publication shows that the most controversial of the educational issues in implementing competency-based education has been the assessment and accreditation of competence. The chapter on France, presented in French, points out the inherent difficulties of establishing one frame of reference for technical and academic qualifications. Early attempts to assess competence in Australia relied excessively on behaviourist approaches, where minute specification of elements of competence was seen as a way of overcoming the assessment issue. But too much emphasis was placed on merely observing individuals undertaking tasks and recording the results in a log. Instead, there is a need for a holistic, judgement-based approach. Evidence, of course, needs to be collected, but then there must be professional judgements made on the basis of the evidence collected – as in a law court.

The book concludes that much remains to be done before competency-based approaches can be claimed to have fulfilled the expectations of their proponents. But there have been many improvements to the provision of vocational education and training, as a result of the competency approach. The editors highlight that, as outcome-based approaches become more common in general education, a framework exists not only to improve vocational education and training but also to establish a closer connection between general and vocational education. This, they claim, will help to revolutionize approaches to education in schools, technical colleges and universities. It will also help to break down the perceived lack of status of vocational qualifications and have a positive impact on the life chances of individuals who possess them.