Beyond Competencies: The Critical Void in Professional Training

In this article, the author addresses the critical gap in professional development, which often prioritizes skill acquisition and competency frameworks over critical engagement with the wider social context within which higher education is embedded. The author argues that neglecting Critical Pedagogy hinders the field's ability to empower professionals as agents of change. By discussing the transformative theories of Gramsci and Freire and the field of Critical Pedagogy more broadly and by examining diverse professionalization models across the globe, the article demonstrates how integrating Critical Pedagogy can improve professional development. The author emphasizes the need to move beyond market-driven approaches with a focus on institutional efficiency and individualistic career advancement, and highlight the importance to engage in "un-learning and re-learning" to cultivate critical consciousness and social agency. The conclusion poses a critical questions: How can we conceptualize professional development as a vehicle to empower professionals as catalysts for transformative social justice? This paper argues that Critical Pedagogy offers a powerful response to these questions and concludes that professional development should go beyond competencies—it should empower professionals to question the status quo.