From qualification to professional competencies

The importance of the professional competence is frequently linked with periods of economic crisis. The same can be said for the process of globalisation and the transformation of production activity as a result of the continuous development in the information technologies and automation that normally come with it. But, what is really the difference between qualification and competence? In this essay, based on Sampaio, José João (2009), I go through the concept of professional competence in its multiple dimensions (generic, specific, transversal) as a means to establish its grounds in complex environments employability programs.