In e na ional Jou nal o Resea ch in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (IJRVET)
Vol. 4, Issue 2, Augus 2017, 95-116
DOI: 10.13152/IJRVET.4.2.1
Finnish Wo ldSkills Achie e s’ Voca ional
Talen De elopmen and School- o-Wo k
Pa hways
Lau a Pyl äs∗1and Pe i Nokelainen2
1Uni e si y o Tampe e, Facul y o Educa ion, Åke lundinka u 5, 33014, Tampe e, Finland
2Tampe e Uni e si y o Technology, Labo a o y o Indus ial and In o ma ion Managemen ,
Ko keakoulunka u 8, 33720, Tampe e, Finland
Recei ed: 30.01.2017; Accep ed: 25.04.2017; Published: 31.08.2017
Abs ac : This pape examines he pe cep ions o oca ional expe ise and school- o-
wo k pa hways among Wo ldSkills Compe i ion (WSC) achie e s and hei co-wo ke s
and employe s wi hin he Finnish con ex . A he biennial in e na ional WSC, young
people (aged 18- o-23 yea s) om o e 60 coun ies demons a e hei skills in mo e
han 40 ades. Indi idualized aining o his compe i ion is p o ided h ough he
coope a ion o oca ional ins i u ions (e.g., expe coaches, eam leade s and compe i ion
panellis s) and indus y (e.g., men o s, sponso s, ma e ials, equipmen ). Semi-s uc u ed
hema ic in e iews (N=51) we e conduc ed in 2013 and 2014 wi h o me Finnish WSC
medal o diploma winne s (n=18) who had since begun hei wo king li es (1- o-15
yea s o wo k expe ience). Thei employe s (n=16) and colleagues (n=17) we e also
in e iewed. Resul s showed ha in addi ion o oca ion-speci ic knowledge and skills,
p oblem-sol ing skills, c ea i i y, social skills and sel - egula o y skills we e acknowledged
as he mos signi ican elemen s o oca ional expe ise. The indings also indica ed ha
o mal oca ional educa ion combined wi h delibe a e p ac ice and aining based on
expe men o ing imp o ed he long- e m ca ee p og ess and oca ional expe ise o he
WSC achie e s.
Keywo ds: VET, Voca ional Educa ion and T aining, Skilled Wo ke , Educa ion-
Wo k Rela ionship, Talen De elopmen , Ca ee Explo a ion
∗Co esponding au ho : lau a.pyl [email p o ec ed]
ISSN: 2197-8646
h p://www.ij e .ne
96 Pyl äs, Nokelainen
1 In oduc ion
Recen esea ch on VET unde line he impo ance o in eg a ing o mal educa ion and
wo kplace lea ning. This e lec s he need o s uden s and eache s o lea n how o
media e be ween he di e en o ms o expe ise and he demands o di e en con ex s
and how o na iga e he bounda ies be ween hem (G i i hs & Guile, 2003; Guile &
G i i hs, 2001; Tuomi-G öhn, Enges öm, & Young, 2003). In he biennial in e na ional
Wo ldSkills Compe i ion (WSC), young people (aged 18-23 yea s) om o e 60 coun-
ies demons a e hei oca ional compe ence in mo e han 40 ades (WSI, 2010). The
compe i o s a e selec ed o pa icipa e in he WSC based on hei success in hei oca-
ional s udies and in o icial na ional compe i ions. Be o e he ou -day e en is held, all
compe i o s pa icipa e in an addi ional aining p og amme. The indi idualized com-
pe i ion aining is ca ied ou in coope a ion be ween oca ional ins i u ions (expe
coaches, eam leade s and panellis s) and indus y (e.g., men o s, sponso s, ma e ials,
equipmen ). As he WSC o e s al e na i e pe spec i es on c ossing he bounda ies be-
ween o mal educa ion and he wo kplace, and i inds i sel on he poli ical agenda
as a s a egy o heigh en he s a us o oca ional educa ion and aining (VET) (Eu o-
pean Council, 2010), i is highly ele an o mo e closely in es iga e he impac o skills
compe i ions on pa icipan s’ lea ning oppo uni ies, ou comes and mo i a ion.
This pape builds on a la ge in e iew s udy (n=51) wi h oca ional skills compe i ion
pa icipan s and hei co-wo ke s and employe s in o de o ga he hei pe cep ions o
oca ional expe ise and school- o-wo k pa hways. The speci ic ocus is on he o me
WSC medal and diploma winne s’ pe spec i es on he de elopmen o oca ional ex-
cellence. The da a includes in e iews wi h Finnish WSC achie e s (n=18) who ha e
since en e ed wo king li e (1-15 yea s o wo k expe ience), and hei co-wo ke s (n=17)
and employe s (n=16) om he same wo kplace. The e ili y o he g ounds o his
esea ch is based on wo ac s: Fi s ly, he o me WSC achie e s ha e been e alua ed
as excellen pe o me s by an ex e nal in e na ional panel, and secondly, hey ha e pa -
icipa ed in a aining p og am in which hey ecei ed guidance om oca ional expe
men o s. The main goal o his s udy is o p o ide in o ma ion abou he ad an ages and
disad an ages o he WSC aining in ela ion o adi ionally implemen ed VET in he
con ex o Finland. This esea ch ocuses on an in es iga ion o he WSC achie e s’ and
hei non-compe ing co-wo ke s’ pe spec i es on he main cha ac e is ics hey conside
impo an o pe o ming well p o essionally, hei oca ional pa hways a e oca ional
educa ion, and he mos impo an ex e nal condi ions ha ha e suppo ed hei oca-
ional de elopmen . The esea ch ques ions asked by his s udy a e he ollowing:
(RQ1) How is oca ional expe ise pe cei ed by he o me Wo ldSkills Compe i ion achie -
e s in ela ion o hei co-wo ke s and employe s?
(RQ2) Wha kinds o school- o-wo k pa hways desc ibe he o me Wo ldSkills Compe i ion
achie e s in ela ion o hei co-wo ke s?
Wo ldSkills Achie e s’ Voca ional De elopmen 97
(RQ3) Wha kind o in luence has he Wo ldSkills Compe i ion and aining expe ience
had on achie e s’ oca ional de elopmen and pa hways in ela ion o oca ional
educa ion?
2 Theo e ical F amewo k
Wo ldSkills Compe i ion
In he biennial in e na ional WSC, young people (aged 18-23 yea s) om o e 60 coun-
ies demons a e hei oca ional compe ence in mo e han 40 ades (e.g., heal h ca e,
hai d essing and obo ics). The WSC is he la ges skills compe i ion in he wo ld, in
which young p o essionals compe e o he wo ld championship (WSI, 2010). Each com-
pe i o ecei es a sco e ( om 0-600 poin s) om a panel o in e na ional expe s based on
his o he pe o mance du ing he ou -day compe i ion. Finland p o ides an in e es ing
con ex in which o examine he in luence o WSC because skills compe i ions ha e been
included in he coun y’s s a egic planning o in e na ional coope a ion in VET by he
Finnish Na ional Boa d o Educa ion (2014). The pa icipan s a e he selec ed s uden s
o oca ional uppe seconda y school. Ins ead o p o iding inancial o ma e ial ewa ds,
pa icipa ion in in e na ional compe i ions allows oca ional ins i u ions o compa e he
quali y and elemen s o hei aining o hose o o he coun ies and imp o e he skills
and in e na ional compe ences o hei s uden s (e.g., h ough in e na ional ne wo king)
and eache s (e.g., by designing he asks o he compe i ions, assessing he pe o mance
o con es an s oge he wi h expe s om o he coun ies, and gaining an in e na ional
pe spec i e in o aining and eaching a he highes le el) (Finnish Na ional Boa d o
Educa ion, 2014).
The compe i ion aining sys em is coo dina ed by he non-p o i o ganiza ion Skills-
Finland and suppo ed by he Finnish Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e and he Finnish
Na ional Boa d o Educa ion. The aining is implemen ed in coope a ion wi h oca-
ional ins i u ions (expe coaches, eam leade s and Wo ldSkills Champion Panellis s)
and indus y (e.g., men o s, sponso s, ma e ials and equipmen ). The aining pe iod is
mos ly indi idualized and ca ied ou in oca ional ins i u ions and wo kplaces. Mo e-
o e , i also includes collabo a i e p ac ising (e.g., na ional eam camps) (SkillsFinland,
2017). The con en o he aining is based on he ea lie skills compe i ion asks ha
ollow he VET equi emen s o oca ional quali ica ions and specialis quali ica ions and
acknowledge he pe cep ions o expe s om di e en coun ies. The aining is included
wi h he componen s ela ed o oca ion-speci ic skills and knowledge as well as psycho-
logical and physical p epa a ion o o e come compe i ion- ela ed issues (Saa inen, 2010).
The aining s a s app oxima ely one yea be o e he compe i ion. The compe i o s a e
selec ed o pa icipa e in he WSC based on hei success in he na ional (Tai aja) skills
compe i ion o h ough aining p o ide s’ con ac s wi h oca ional ins i u ions o com-
panies (SkillsFinland, 2017). Acco ding o he WSC achie e s in e iewed in his s udy,
he impe us o join he compe i ion o en comes om he VET eache s and hei im-
p essions o hei s uden s’ success, mo i a ion and willingness o pa icipa e in he WSC.
98 Pyl äs, Nokelainen
De elopmen al Model o Voca ional and P o essional Excellence
The de elopmen al model o oca ional and p o essional excellence (DMVE) (Nokelainen,
2016; Pyl äs, Nokelainen, & Roisko, 2015) is de eloped on he basis o he ea lie em-
pi ical esea ch on modeling o oca ional expe ise and excellence (Nokelainen, S asz &
James, 2013; Nokelainen, 2010; Nokelainen & Ruoho ie, 2009; Nokelainen, Ko pelainen,
& Ruoho ie, 2009; Ko pelainen, Nokelainen, & Ruoho ie, 2009; Ruoho ie, Nokelainen,
& Ko pelainen, 2008; Ti i & Nokelainen, 2011; Nokelainen, Ti i, Campbell, & Wal-
be g, 2007; Nokelainen & Ruoho ie, 2002). The DMVE model is applied in his s udy
o in es iga e he oca ional skills compe i ion pa icipan s’, hei co-wo ke s’ and hei
employe s’ pe cep ions o he na u al abili ies, in insic cha ac e is ics (sel - egula ion)
and ex insic condi ions ha in luence he de elopmen o oca ional expe ise. The
model p esen ed in he Fugu e 1 is comp ised o he ollowing componen s: na u al abil-
i ies (mul iple in elligence heo y [MI], Ga dne , 1983), in insic cha ac e is ics ( he
socio-cons uc i is app oach o sel - egula ion, Zimme man, 2000), delibe a e p ac ice
(E icsson, 2006) and ex insic condi ions (domain and non-domain ac o s ela ed o
alen de elopmen , Bloom, 1985; La e & Wenge , 1991; Tuomi-G öhn e al., 2003).
Figu e 1: De elopmen al model o p o essional and oca ional excellence (Nokelainen,
2016; Pyl äs e al., 2015)
The model illus a es he p ocess o how inbo n gi s de elop in o alen s. P e ious e-
sea ch in he domain o oca ional skills compe i ions shows ha gi ed indi iduals wi h
excep ional na u al abili ies (in ellec ual, c ea i e, socio-a ec i e and senso imo o ), in-
insic cha ac e is ics (sel - egula ion) and auspicious ex insic condi ions (physical, cul-
u al and sociological milieus; exposu e o impo an indi iduals; ac i i ies; acciden s)
Wo ldSkills Achie e s’ Voca ional De elopmen 99
may each a le el o oca ional excellence h ough delibe a e p ac ice. Indi iduals who
ail o mee all o hese condi ions may s ill become compe en p o essionals ( oca ional
expe ise) h ough delibe a e p ac ice. (Nokelainen, 2010; Nokelainen, Smi h, Rahimi,
S asz, & James, 2012; Pyl äs e al., 2015).
Na u al Abili ies
The s uc u e o he main DMVE componen s (Nokelainen, 2016; Pyl äs e al., 2015)
is based on Gagné’s (2004, 2010) di e en ia ed model o gi edness and alen (DMGT).
Chance is unde s ood o play a p edominan ole in he DMGT as i includes bo h ge-
ne ic and pa en al endowmen s a ec ing na u al abili ies and in ape sonal cha ac e is-
ics (Gagné, 2004, 2010). To in es iga e he ole o na u al abili ies (gi s) in he de elop-
men o oca ional expe ise and excellence, DMVE applies he o iginal se en-dimension
e sion o Ga dne ’s (1983, 1993, 1999) mul iple in elligence (MI) heo y ha consis s
o 1) linguis ic; 2) logical-ma hema ical; 3) musical; 4) spa ial; 5) bodily-kinaes he ic;
6) in e pe sonal; and 7) in ape sonal in elligence. Acco ding o Ma in (2001), in he
wo kplace lea ning con ex , linguis ic in elligence e e s o an abili y o ead and p oduce
p o essional documen s and o communica e ac i ely and adap i ely wi h colleagues and
clien s. Logical-ma hema ical in elligence is ela ed o echnical awa eness and an un-
de s anding o ha dwa e and so wa e and objec i e and logical assessmen s o p oblems
ela ed o people o p oduc s. Musical in elligence is ela ed o a endance o audi o y
cues, such as he one, olume and sequence o people, machines o en i onmen s. Spa ial
in elligence in ol es he use o isual elemen s no only in wo k asks and p oduc o
se ice de elopmen , bu also in o he conc e e applica ions ela ed o wo kplace p oduc-
i i y o ma ke ing. Bodily-kinaes he ic in elligence ela es o he mo o skills needed o
ca y ou a ious wo k asks, such as an abili y o use ools o o he equipmen e icien ly.
In e pe sonal in elligence is i al in e e yday in e ac ions wi h colleagues and clien s, o
example, o lead and wo k wi hin eams and o gi e cons uc i e eedback. In ape sonal
in elligence e e s o a pe son’s sel -awa eness o one’s own eelings, goals, e hics and
abili ies in changing si ua ions a wo k.
In insic Cha ac e is ics
Sel - egula ed lea ning has been s udied in dep h mainly in he con ex o social cogni-
i e heo y (Bandu a, 1986). The e m “sel - egula ion” e e s o he p ocess by which
sel -gene a ed hough s, eelings and ac ions a e planned and sys ema ically adap ed o
u he one’s lea ning and mo i a ion (Schunk & E me , 2000; Zimme man, 2000). Sel -
egula o y skills allow lea ne s o modi y hei pe o mance based on pe sonal cha ac e -
is ics and en i onmen al condi ions (Zimme man, 2000). Fu he , sel - egula ed lea ning
is no limi ed o academic con ex s, bu can occu whe e e lea ning - whe he o mal
o in o mal - akes place (Kaplan, 2008). Resea ch has shown ha success ul lea ne s
can moni o and egula e he ollowing iadic elemen s: oli ion, mo i a ion and sel -
e lec ion (e.g., Ki san as & Zimme man, 2002; Zimme man, 1989, 1998; Zimme man
& Ki san as, 2005). Mo i a ional p ocesses help he lea ne o o mula e decisions and
o p omo e decision-making, whe eas oli ional p ocesses guide one’s subsequen enac -
men o he decision (Co no, 1989). Voli ion includes pe sis ence, he will o lea n,

100 Pyl äs, Nokelainen
endea ou /e o , mind ulness in lea ning, egula ion, and e alua ion p ocesses. I also
in ol es a ious con ol s a egies (e.g., he alloca ion and con ol o esou ces, emo ional
a en i eness and mo i a ional con ol s a egies) and me hods o p ocessing knowledge
(Zimme mann, 2006). The p ocesses o sel - e lec ion enable indi iduals o e alua e hei
expe iences and hough p ocesses (Bandu a, 1986). Acco ding o Weine (1974), indi-
iduals cons an ly seek o unde s and why an e en has occu ed. The lea ne may
in e p e he ailu e o a s a egy as he esul o oo li le e o (con ol belie s) and
hen decide o inc ease his o he subsequen e o . The lea ne may also a ibu e his
o he ailu e o a lack o abili y (e icacy belie s) when he esponse will mos likely
equi e inc easing one’s e o . A ibu ion in e p e a ions (con ol and e icacy belie s)
can lead o bo h posi i e and nega i e sel - eac ions because hey a e unde one’s own
con ol (Zimme man, 1998; Zimme man & Ki san as, 1997). Posi i e eac ions ein o ce
in insic goal o ien a ion and posi i e in e p e a ions o onesel as an employee, such as
belie s in one’s own compe encies and oppo uni ies (Me en i-Välimäki, Nokelainen, &
Ti i, 2005; Nokelainen e al., 2007).
Delibe a e P ac ice
In ape sonal cha ac e is ics p ecede he p ac ice componen in he DMGT (Gagné, 2004,
2010) because p ac ice is based on he p esence o gi s (na u al abili ies) and in ap-
e sonal cha ac e is ics (e.g., sel - egula ion). Delibe a e p ac ice is essen ial in alen
de elopmen ; in mos ields, i akes en yea s o become an expe (E icsson, K ampe,
& Tesch-Röme , 1993). Recen esea ch, howe e , has shown ha he en-yea ule is
no absolu e; in some ields (e.g., chess, spo s) o al mas e y o he necessa y skills akes
abou six yea s, whe eas in o he ields (e.g., music, science), eaching he op can ake
20-30 yea s o delibe a e p ac ice (E icsson, 2006). E icsson’s ela i e app oach o he
s udy o expe s’ cha ac e is ics assumes ha he undamen al capaci ies and domains
- he gene al easoning abili ies o expe s and non-expe s alike - a e almos iden ical.
The majo di e ence be ween expe s and no ices is ha h ough delibe a e p ac ice,
he o me a e mo e knowledgeable han he la e (Chi, 2006). Howe e , o uly unde -
s and he in luence o he en i onmen on he maximum le el o pe o mance, delibe a e
p ac ice mus be cha ac e ized and dis inguished om o he ypes o e e yday ac i i ies
in which lea ning may be an indi ec esul . E icsson e al. (1993) de ine delibe a e
p ac ice as a “highly s uc u ed ac i i y, he explici goal o which is o imp o e pe -
o mance” and link delibe a e p ac ice o such ac o s as engagemen , mo i a ion and
moni o ed pe o mance.
Ex insic Condi ions
En i onmen al condi ions also ollow in ape sonal cha ac e is ics in he DMGT (Gagné,
2004, 2010) as he di e ences in “no mal” en i onmen s ail o explain di e ences be-
ween a e age and ou s anding achie emen (G eenspan, Solomon, & Ga dne , 2004).
Howe e , en i onmen al condi ions ha e been p o en o play an impo an ole in alen
de elopmen . F om a social-cogni i e iew o sel - egula ion, expe ise de elops om
bo h ex e nal suppo and sel -di ec ed p ac ice sessions (Bloom, 1985; Zimme man,
2006). Ea lie alen esea ch (Bloom, 1985; G eenspan, Solomon, & Ga dne , 2004) has
Wo ldSkills Achie e s’ Voca ional De elopmen 101
iden i ied h ee s ages o alen de elopmen h ough which alen ed child en p og ess:
ini ial pa icipa ion ( i s a ac ion o he ac i i y and ini ia ion o o mal ins uc ion),
pe se e ance (acquisi ion o basic and in e media e skills), and mas e y (building upon
acqui ed skills o de elop expe ise and o compe e on highe le els). Acco ding o Bloom
(1985), pa en s make he alen ield accessible and desi able o hei child en. The home
en i onmen p o ides he s uc u e necessa y o ea ly lea ning ( ime, alua ion, suppo ,
esou ces, and ins uc ion) and ins ils he child’s wo k e hic. The wo k e hic applies ini-
ially o mos ac i i ies in he home and school, and la e ela es mos di ec ly o lea ning
and pa icipa ion in he chosen alen ield. The social eac ions o pa en s and o he
indi iduals in he immedia e en i onmen es ablish a child’s o iginal mo i a ion and en-
gagemen in he domain, and when added o he accumula ed expe ience and he help o
eache s and coaches, a de eloping indi idual lea ns o in e nalize me hods o assessing
imp o emen , moni o ing he e ec s o p ac ice and se ing goals (Bloom, 1985).
In he con ex o wo kplaces, he con ibu ion o indi idual assis ance and suppo
by mo e expe ienced co-wo ke s also seems o p o ide a signi ican basis o lea ning
(Bille , 2001; Vi anen, Tynjälä, & E eläpel o, 2014). Wi hou he exis ence o a heo-
e ical basis o unde s anding and guidance om expe s, s uden lea ning a wo k may
emain unsys ema ic and inciden al (Collin & Tynjälä, 2003; Vi anen & Tynjälä, 2008).
In socio-cul u al heo ies o wo kplace aining, lea ning is becoming a p ocess si ua ed
wi hin he amewo k o pa icipa ion a he han wi hin he lea ne , e en i i does no
eplace no ions o indi idual lea ning (Hage , 2013). E au (2000) a gues ha aspec s o
an indi idual’s knowledge accumula ed h ough li elong lea ning will always exis and be-
come unique o hem. S ill, an indi idual is likely o encoun e knowledge ha is sha ed
among he g oup wi h which he o she wo ks. La e and Wenge (1991) ha e p oposed
ha lea ning happens in e e yday in e ac ions and h ough pa icipa ion in communi ies
o p ac ice. Lea ning occu s as pa o a p ocess in which lea ne s g adually mo e om
pe iphe al pa icipa ion o ull pa icipa ion in he communi y o p ac ice. Howe e , he
mas e -no ice ela ionship and he p o essional monopoly on expe ise (based on such
ac o s as age o s a us) may be impo an elemen s bu a e also p oblema ic. Mul iple
con ex s demand and a o d di e en bu complemen a y - ye some imes con lic ing -
cogni i e ools, ules, and pa e ns o social in e ac ion (Fulle & Unwin, 2004). The
c i e ia o expe knowledge and skill is de ined di e en ly in a ious con ex s; by ope -
a ing in, and mo ing be ween, mul iple pa allel ac i i y con ex s, expe s ace challenges
when nego ia ing and combining elemen s om di e en con ex s o achie e hyb id so-
lu ions. Acco ding o Tuomi-G öhn e al. (2003), he school should p epa e i s eache s
and s uden s o wo k as bounda y c osse s be ween he wo lds o school and wo k and
engage s uden s in eal-li e p ocesses du ing hei s udies as s uden s can see hings om
a esh angle, ha e ime o e lec and ake he ini ia i e be o e hey a e caugh up in
he ou ines and dynamics o he wo kplace.
102 Pyl äs, Nokelainen
3 Me hods
Pa icipan s
The da a includes in e iews wi h Finnish WSC medal o diploma winne s (n=18) who
ha e since en e ed wo king li e (1-15 yea s o wo k expe ience), and hei co-wo ke s
(n=17) and employe s (n=16) om he same wo kplace. The WSC achie e s in e iewed
pa icipa ed in he WSC be ween 1997-2011 and ea ned ei he a gold, sil e o b onze
medal, o a diploma ( o being awa ded mo e han 500 poin s). Going h ough he WSC
high-s anda d e alua ion p ocess, he WSC achie e s a e being conside ed o pe o m on
he high le el o expe ise in his s udy. To accoun o he di e ences be ween oca ional
ields, he in e iewees we e chosen o ep esen h ee di e en ades designa ed by he
esea che s: 1) cus ome se ice; 2) manual labou ; and 3) echnical wo k (Table 1).
Table 1: O e iew o he sample
Pa icipan s Wo ldSkills achie e s Co-wo ke s Employe s
(N=51) (n=18) (n=17) (n=16)
Age, Mage (SDage) 29.4 (5.012) 32.0 (7.433) 46.1 (7.191)
Female n(%) 7 (13.7) 8 (15.7) 7 (13.7)
Male n(%) 11 (21.6) 9 (17.6) 9 (17.6)
Wo k expe ience, yea s (SD) 8.7 (4.081) 12.2 (6.978) 24.0 (8.556)
Ins umen
A o al o 51 semi-s uc u ed hema ic in e iews (70-90 minu es) we e conduc ed in
2013-2014 in 18 wo kplaces. In e iews se ed as he esea ch me hod o e ing some
leeway o pu sue he angles deemed impo an by he in e iewee, while also enabling
he in e iewe o ocus he con e sa ion on issues conside ed impo an o he esea ch
(B inkmann, 2014). The in e iew ins umen was de eloped on he basis o ou p e i-
ous esea ch on oca ional expe ise and ocused on examining he signi icance o na u al
abili ies, in insic cha ac e is ics (sel - egula ion) and ex insic condi ions in he de el-
opmen o oca ional expe ise (e.g., Pyl äs e al., 2015). Ques ions such as “How would
you cha ac e ize an employee who succeeds well in you oca ion?” o “How do you hink
ha oca ional educa ion has p epa ed you o wo king li e?” we e included in he in e -
iews.
Analysis
We used quali a i e con en analysis o analyse he esea ch da a. Quali a i e con en
analysis can be de ined as a esea ch me hod used o he subjec i e in e p e a ion o
he con en o ex da a h ough he sys ema ic classi ica ion p ocess o coding and iden-
i ying hemes o pa e ns (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). The aim o he analyses was o
c ea e concep ually and empi ically g ounded ca ego ies ela ed o he analy ical con ex
and oo ed in empi ical ma e ial o e lec he opic o he s udy (e.g., Dey, 1993). We
ob ained he ex da a om ansc ibed semi-s uc u ed in e iews, which we managed
Wo ldSkills Achie e s’ Voca ional De elopmen 103
(by o ganizing da a sou ces and managing coding) using NVi o so wa e. The uni o
analysis selec ed o coding was a meaning ul piece o ex in he in e iew ansc ip ,
such as a wo d, sen ence o sho na a i e (K ippendo , 2012; Sch eie , 2014). The
coding ame consis ed o he main ca ego ies and subca ego ies buil by ollowing he
di ec ed (o deduc i e) analysis app oach based on he exis ing heo y (Hsieh & Shannon,
2005; Sch eie , 2014). Howe e , since a key objec i e was o p o ide a ho ough desc ip-
ion o he ma e ial, we combined concep -d i en ca ego ies wi h da a-d i en ca ego ies
(Sch eie , 2014). Thema ic c i e ia se ed o di ide he ex ma e ial in o da a-d i en
uni s ha would i he coding ame (Sch eie , 2014). When an impo an cha ac e -
is ic sepa a es people in o g oups, one o mo e g oups can also be selec ed as uni s o
analysis (Pa on, 1987). In his s udy, he sampling uni s consis ed o bo h coding uni s
(main ca ego ies and subca ego ies) and h ee demog aphic g oups o in e iewees (WSC
achie e s, co-wo ke s and employees).
4 Resul s
How is oca ional expe ise pe cei ed by he o me Wo ldSkills Compe i ion achie e s in
ela ion o hei co-wo ke s and employe s?
The WSC achie e s and hei co-wo ke s and employe s sha ed a simila iew o he mos
impo an skills ela ed o oca ional expe ise: logical-ma hema ical skills, in e pe sonal
skills and sel - egula o y skills. The ole o in elligences (na u al abili ies) will i s be
discussed, ollowed by a discussion on he ole o sel - egula o y skills.
Na u al abili ies. Acco ding o he in e iewees, oca ion-speci ic skills may no be he
mos c i ical o all he oca ional skills, bu hey a e equi ed o pe o m well in oca ional
ields. Depending on he oca ional ield, one mus ha e he necessa y oca ion-speci ic
skills emphasising e.g., senso imo o skills (bodily-kinaes he ic abili ies suppo ing man-
ual skills) and/o logical-ma hema ical skills (domain-speci ic knowledge). All o he
in e iewed g oups highligh ed he impo ance o logical-ma hema ical skills, bu he e
we e also he di e ences in e ms o he cogni i e skills ha we e conside ed he mos
impo an . The WSC achie e s and employe s unde lined he impo ance o p oblem-
sol ing skills mo e han he co-wo ke s did and hey belie e ha su icien cogni i e skills
a e he ounda ion o ac ualizing oca ional excellence. These wo g oups discussed he
impo ance o a b oad unde s anding o he wo k p ocesses ha enable an employee o
handle mul iple asks and o o e come a ious and unexpec ed p oblems independen ly
and quickly. Mo eo e , he employe s highligh ed he impo ance o comme cial expe ise
as many oca ional ades in ol e wo king in p i a e companies.
C ea i i y was one o he oca ional skills highligh ed in many o he in e iews, pa -
icula ly by he WSC achie e s. C ea i i y was included wi h he a is ic and isual
skills needed in oca ions such as lo is and hai d esse . On he o he hand, c ea i i y
was ela ed o he c ea i e hinking ha may inspi e a pe son o c ea e some hing new,
such as a new idea o me hod o wo king. Thus, c ea i i y was also closely connec ed
o p oblem-sol ing skills and inno a i eness. To pe o m a he le el o oca ional excel-
110 Pyl äs, Nokelainen
o lea ning is on cogni i e, mo i a ional o emo ional p ocesses. Collabo a i e wo k-
ing equi es egula i e lea ning skills o co-cons uc sha ed ask ep esen a ions, sha ed
goals and sha ed s a egies (Jä elä & Hadwin, 2013). In wo king li e, he amoun o
in o ma ion p ocessing equi ed is usually mo e han one pe son can e en handle, he eby
in alida ing he no ion o a single, all-pu pose in elligence o a single indi idual (Ga dne
& Mo an, 2006). In addi ion o in e wined in elligences, he unde s anding o sha ed
expe ise should also be in ol ed in he pedagogical planning o s udy assignmen s o
p o ide oppo uni ies o VET s uden s o de elop a su icien ounda ion o li elong
lea ning.
The indings suppo Bloom’s (1985) iew on he home en i onmen p o iding he
s uc u e necessa y o ea ly lea ning (e.g., wo k e hics, mo i a ion and engagemen in
he domain). Fu he , in o de o con ol hei lea ning p ocesses independen ly du ing
hei s udies and la e in hei wo king li es, s uden s we e conside ed o need oppo uni-
ies o de elop s ong sel - egula o y skills. Following E icsson’s e al. (1993) app oach,
he empi ical esul s o his s udy emphasised he impo ance o delibe a e p ac ice o
alen (o oca ional) de elopmen and i s connec ion o such ac o s as engagemen and
mo i a ion. Some componen s o he WSC and aining a e ce ainly c ea ing ad an-
ageous pa e ns ha ough o be de eloped u he and exploi ed in VET in gene al.
The ime ha mo i a ed expe s ga e o he WSC achie e s o p ac ise hei oca ional
skills in au hen ic en i onmen s was pe cei ed as ha ing a posi i e in luence on hei
mo i a ion in he oca ional ield, de elopmen o oca ional excellence, school- o-wo k
ansi ion, and sel -con idence. The s udy o Wilde and James Relly (2015) also ound
a pa allel esul ; he success o UK pa icipan s in he WSC is due o he in ense e o ,
commi men and eaching and lea ning o he aining manage s and compe i o s. This
s udy sugges s ocusing g ea e a en ion on VET s uden s’ de elopmen o lea ning skills
and sel - egula o y skills du ing oca ional educa ion. The e is need o p o ide s uden s
wi h he possibili y o s eng hening hose skills wi hin he sphe e o oca ional educa ion
h ough he help o eache s bu o ecognize po en ial ad an ages o collabo a ion wi h
expe s om wo king li e.

Wo ldSkills Achie e s’ Voca ional De elopmen 111
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116 Pyl äs, Nokelainen
Bibliog aphical No e
Lau a Pyl äs is a PhD s uden a he Facul y o Educa ion a he Uni e si y o Tam-
pe e, Finland. He esea ch in e es s ocus on p o essional and oca ional expe ise and
excellence, wo kplace lea ning and in e cul u al compe ence.
D Pe i Nokelainen is a P o esso o Enginee ing Pedagogy in he Tampe e Uni e si y o
Technology, Finland. His esea ch in e es s include in es iga ion o p o essional g ow h
and lea ning, excep ional abili ies (p o essional and oca ional excellence), quan i a i e
me hods and psychome ics (Bayesian s a is ics, su ey de elopmen ), and echnology-
enhanced lea ning (pedagogical usabili y).
Acknowledgemen
This esea ch was suppo ed by a esea ch g an om Academy o Finland.