ComProCom is designed to improve the way that professional competence is described and represented, particularly in relation to complex work in higher-level occupations where outcome-based conceptions of competence have proved most challenging. Six countries are involved in the project, representing systems with established traditions of ‘competence-based’ VET or practice-based assessment, through to those that are in the early stages of using competence frameworks or have a less structured approach to occupational competence. The project is designed to build on a number of sources including ‘second generation’ approaches to competence and capability from the UK professional body sector, the idea of ‘occupational capacity’ as used in the German dual system, and exploration of needs and current practice in partners’ countries, to develop and trial appropriate models for higher-level occupations and professions. The project will aim to develop frameworks that reflect the level of understanding and ability required in the relevant occupations, are concerned with core capability rather than the specifics of job roles, and are resilient to changes in legislation, technology and techniques. Intellectual input will be provided by the UK partner, supported by an expert associate with experience in the German system and of VET instruments at EU level. The remaining partners will select relevant methodologies to develop and test frameworks in five areas: • Training and development (IR) • Business administration (AT) • Chemical engineering (DE) • Management of innovation (PL) • Social entrepreneurship (GR). These have been selected to provide a range of occupation types and professional ‘paradigms’ including technical, organisational and people-focused, as well as operating contexts that span the public/voluntary sector, industry and professional firms, and different balances of interest between official bodies, employers and professional bodies. The project will also meet particular needs in specific industries, for instance to support talent management in the Irish training and development profession, extend competence-based approaches to ‘Meister’ level in German chemical engineering, and help formalise the occupation of innovation management in Poland. The project’s main transferrable output will be a guide to researching and developing practical and usable descriptions of professional competence, explaining how different methods can be used to develop frameworks that capture high-level occupational roles, along with an associated short training programme to aid its application. Approaches will be tested through application to the five fields, and refined to produce a highly usable, methodologically sound manual. This manual will be designed to be usable in any occupational field to produce competence standards and frameworks that: are eminently suitable for work roles where significant judgement and contextual interpretation are needed; avoid assumptions about work practices, organisational cultures or roles that lead to obsolescence or build in cultural or gender discrimination, and; support outcomes-based qualifications and credit in line with the EQF, ECVET and ECTS. The training programme, consisting of knowledge transfer input plus mentoring, help users to prepare industry experts to develop frameworks in their field. The project will be disseminated at several levels. Within partner countries, dissemination will focus on both the profession or industry under consideration and national agencies and networks involved in VET and occupational or professional standards. There will also be awareness-raising across and beyond partner countries within each profession or industry, and where possible to countries outside the partnership. European-level dissemination will also take place at agency level, and the project will launch a standing forum to support agencies, professional bodies, practitioners and academics to share and discuss practice, research and conceptualisations relevant to professional competence. Lead partner: Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government (EETAA).
ComProCom was developed in response to issues with using various models of occupational competence across Europe, particularly where these had been based on the British occupational standards (NVQ) model or attempted to follow the structure of the European Qualifications Framework. Research in the UK indicated that an alternative approach was emerging that was activity-based but more expansive in scope than the NVQ model, and more able to reflect the complexities of higher-level work. Discussion between the UK, Greek and Polish partners indicated that this had scope for further exploration and adaptation to inform developments in Europe. The main objective of the project was to improve the way that professional competence is described and represented, particularly in relation to complex work in higher-level occupations. To achieve this, it set out to develop an appropriate model and methodology and trial it through developing competence frameworks in five fields, one in each of the partner countries. A methodological guide and developer training course would then be developed to enable the project approach to be taken forward and exploited, and project materials and approaches would be disseminated in partner countries, more widely in Europe, and via academic publication. Six organisations participated in the project: EETAA (GR), the Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government (lead partner and project manager) ITEE-PIB (PL), national research institute in sustainable technologies, with expertise in adult and vocational education including NQF and professional standards SBG-Dresden (DE), industry training provider for chemical engineering, major provider of higher-level 'dual system' training Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD) (IR), the professional body for training and development practitioners Die Berater (AT), vocational training provider and consultancy Stan Lester Developments (SLD) (UK), consultancy specialising in professional standards, development and regulation (scientific co-ordinator). The main activities of the project were: - Research into current approaches to occupational competence in the project countries, including production of a synthesis report (IO1, co-ordinated by ITEE-PIB). - Development of a revised approach for describing professional competence, finalised as a methodological manual and associated resources (IO7, co-ordinated by SLD). - Development, trialling and finalisation of competence frameworks for five fields (IO2-IO6) according to the project methodology. - Publication of four academic papers (IO8, co-ordinated by SLD) discussing different aspects of the project. - Development of a training course for standards developers (IO9, co-ordinated by IITD). - Development of the project web site www.comprocom.eu (co-ordinated by EETAA). - Multiplier events in the UK (SLD) and Poland (ITEE-PIB), and a final conference in Athens (EETAA/all partners) to disseminate the results of the project. - Various dissemination activities undertaken by the partners relating to the project approach as a whole and to the individual frameworks developed in each partner. The project has been successful in: - Establishing a relevant methodology that overcomes many of the problems of describing 'competence' for higher-level work - Developing an approach that can be used by professions, VET, and professional higher education, has relevance across Europe, and is capable of being used in different types of VET system - Developing frameworks in five fields, including two emerging fields, that have been well-received - Gaining interest from academia, professions, national agencies, and CEDEFOP. It is difficult to predict the impact of the project's outputs in the longer term. Dialogue is currently taking place for instance with CEDEFOP, with the Institute of Apprenticeships (UK), professional bodies in partner countries, project principles are being incorporated into the development of professional standards in Poland, and there is also interest in using the project approach from professional bodies in the UK.