Competencies and professional competence

Today, managers often talk about the professional competence of their employees. What does this concept mean?

Professional competence is the sum of the accumulated experience and acquired knowledge, allowing a person to quickly solve the tasks in the professional field.

Competence, speaking scientifically, consists of a set of competencies. And this term is multi-valued.

Competence, firstly, means the personal ability of the employee to solve production issues. Sometimes it happens that the competence of a person who has no education, but has worked in the industry for many years, exceeds the competence of a graduate. It consists of theoretical knowledge of the object (activity) and the skills of practical work with it.

In addition, the term "competence" refers to the sum of the requirements that are imposed on a particular specialist. Usually in this sense the term is used in hiring or attestation of specialists. The sum of all competencies is precisely the concept of "professional competence". In other words, this concept can be considered as a summary characteristic of the individual, which reflects the education received, the accumulated experience and a number of personal qualities that allow coping with professional duties.

The structure of professional competence is divided into:

• Professional qualifications.
• Personal features important for the performance of professional duties.
• Socio-professional status.

The division of the concept of "professional competence" into theoretical concepts and practical components allows us to make a more detailed picture of it.

Theoretical knowledge about the object of an activity or a circle of duties includes:

• Theoretical ideas about what a particular professional qualification means.
• Theoretical ideas about the professional status.
• Representations of professional characteristics.

Ways to work with objects can also be structured.

• Methods of organizing professional specialization.
• Ways to implement the status.
• Ways to implement professional features.

However, we can not say that the concept of "professional competence" is unambiguous. Different specialists who study pedagogy, psychology, sociology, treat it differently.

Some of them believe that the term denotes the amount of cognitive activity and professional activity. The high level of development of these factors reduces the mental tension of a specialist, raises the emotional state of the ego, helps accumulate experience and successfully passes the chain "student (student, trainee) - young specialist - professional - professional high level."

Other specialists try to recognize the notion of "professional competence" as an ability to act adequately, independently, in any situation related to the profession. This, in turn, necessarily requires readiness for self-improvement, not only in professional, but also in related fields.

Most experts agree that professional competence includes in its structure the following series of components:

• Gnostic (professional qualities).
• Value-semantic (they include the installation of a specialist).
• Activity (professional skills).
• Personality (features of character that help professional growth).

Professional competence in the amount of technology, skills, general and professional culture, innovative approach to activities is an integral part of professionalism.