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Transitions to Working Life: Securing Professional Competence

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International Handbook of Research in Professional and Practice-based Learning

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

Abstract

This chapter examines the transition from education to work as a critical phase of professional career and the development of professional competence. Literature on transition to working life has brought up several challenges that many graduates meet in early stages of their career such as threat of unemployment, inadequate knowledge and skills, decreased self-efficacy and increased stress, instability of professional identity, early attrition and changing occupation, newcomers’ role and position in a work community, and the importance of workplace learning. This chapter examines each of these challenges from the professional competence point of view. Special attention is paid to the role of social partnerships in meeting the challenges.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Päivi Tynjälä Ph.D.

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Jennifer M. Newton Ed.D., F.A.C.N.

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  1. Päivi Tynjälä Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Päivi Tynjälä Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and Professional Studies, Adult and Vocational Education, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Stephen Billett

  2. Institute of Educational Science, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany

    Christian Harteis

  3. Institute of Educational Science, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Hans Gruber

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Tynjälä, P., Newton, J.M. (2014). Transitions to Working Life: Securing Professional Competence. In: Billett, S., Harteis, C., Gruber, H. (eds) International Handbook of Research in Professional and Practice-based Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8902-8_19

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