Competency-based Training Paths: Challenges for educational practices and professional socialization

In Portugal, with the Law regarding the Bases of the Education System (Law no. 46/86, of October 14th), vocational training aims for learning that “in addition to complementing the preparation for active life that begins in primary education”, allows students to “dynamically integrate into the world of work through the acquisition of professional knowledge and skills, in order to respond to national development needs and technological evolution” (article 19, Law no. 46/86, of October 14th). Currently, Decree-Law no. 55/2018 reinforces the need for a competency-based approach, from the design, implementation and assessment of learning, “in order to ensure that all students acquire the knowledge and develop the skills and attitudes, that is to say, transversal and professional skills, that contribute to achieving the skills set forth in the Student Profile upon Completion of Schooling”. However, the implementation of the guiding principles present in the law faces challenges ranging from educational practices to the articulation between school and the labor market. With this case study, we aim to understand the educational practices implemented by teachers in a vocational school that adopts competency-based pathways by constructing a curriculum plan for each course in order to develop a student profile based on competencies that allows the development of skills that respond to the needs of the job market and the integration of the student into society. Through the analysis of the school's guiding documents, surveys and focus groups, we aim to gather the perceptions of the different actors in the teaching/learning process. These insights reveal that the transition to an educational model centered on competency-based learning is an "imperative necessity" for student development. However, it requires structural changes in the educational system, as well as organizational and educational practices, to overcome constraints to its implementation. For example, the resistance on the part of some teachers to abandon the traditional teaching model, highlighting the need for greater curricular flexibility in schools and teacher training in educational practices, particularly in relation to competency-based assessment.