Vocational and professional teacher skills and competences

Vocational and professional pedagogy and teacher competence are changing globally. Digital transformation creates demands for new skill , such as the development of learning environments, the use of digital tools, and the utilisation of AI. The sense of community and individuality in learning and skill development is emphasised as students' well-being declines and learners become increasingly diverse. 

Supporting professional learning and teacher competence require understanding and skill in effectively utilising various learning environments. Practical skills and pedagogical competence in workplace learning are relevant as learning increasingly shifts to workplaces and hand-on skills can be trained in online environments using digital tools. Additionally, national Lifelong Learning principles emphasise the teacher's ability to recognise and validate prior skills and competences when constructing the learner's learning path and curricula.

The core competence of a vocational teacher is based on the understanding of learning, how learning can be facilitated, and constructing and guiding the learning process while considering the individual needs points of the learner.

Research themes 

We examine the effectiveness of the curriculum in professional teacher education, the utilisation of simulation pedagogy in teacher training, the significance of various pedagogical RDI-projects, the development of professional competence of teachers at universities of applied sciences, and new forms of learning environments. 

In the field of vocational teacher education, research is conducted by applying various methodologies. We utilise both quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as multi-methods approach. Additionally, our research is multi-professional and is characterised by its practical and work life relevance. In recent years, we have also studied phenomena by utilising narrative approaches. 

Researchers and Experts