The target term “competence” is characterized by great openness and thus offers a wide range of projection surfaces for a wide variety of learning psychology, learning organization and educational policy concepts. As the debate becomes more complex, the boundaries of the term itself are becoming increasingly blurred. The pedagogical debate about the concept of competence in vocational and adult education is sparked by (among other things) three points, namely: – the conflict between the increasing blurring of the boundaries of the concept of competence in relation to content, educational subject and learning form on the one hand and the need to develop limited, i.e. marketable and evaluable educational concepts (keyword: educational controlling, performance measurement in the area of soft skills) on the other; – the question of relevant and socially legitimate content of the concept of competence in view of current social, technical and economic developments and – the consequences of the competence discussion for the German concept of professionalism. To what extent does the ‘delimitation’ of competence development also lead to a dissolution of corporate and cultural boundaries that have so far supported the concept of a career in Germany? What content-related form of competence strengthens or endangers the professionalism of individuals?
