Professional
Skills are the skills one needs to work competently in their profession. These
might include communication, team work and literacy skills (Villege-Reimers,
E., 2003). Many of these skills are required
across different professions although some are specific to one profession. An
example of this would be that in the education profession, pedagogical skills
are required and they are not necessarily required in other professions (Purnel,
K., 2012).
It is important
to highlight that over time these skills change and develop. Especially with
the current BOOM in Information Communication Technologies a new skill set has
risen and become of immense importance in many industries. This also means that
professionals need to continue to up-skill themselves in order to remain in and
contribute to their profession. As society and the demands of society adjust so
do the professions which support it. Shulman (2005) provides an example of this
in the health system explaining how 10 years ago after having an operation you
might stay in hospital for a few days, whereas these days for the same
operation you might not find yourself spending the night there. He defines this
as “signature pedagogies of the profession” are dynamic, which means the
requirement and skills of the profession can change (Shulman, 2005., pg 5). The
Department of Education, Standards for
Professional Development (2009) has recognised this and provides
opportunities for educators to up-skill themselves through professional
development (PD).
