Competency-based model of learning in vocational education was implemented throughout Finland in 2017–2018 to strengthen the relationship between education and the fast-changing world of work and to meet the needs of the current society better. In competency-based education individual study paths make possible for the students to recognize the skills previously acquired and outline what kind of skills need to be developed.
The emphasis of agency has increased in career counselling theories of postmodern society. The present interpretation of career emphasizes life design. The current concept of agency is linkable to the central goals of competency-based education which are: supporting and strengthening students’ role as autonomous learners and offering them opportunities to plan personal study paths.
In this qualitative study we investigated how counselor students (N=50) presume competency-based study counselor education supports their agency in their career development process. The students reflected their autonomy, their development in study counselor’s competencies and their construction of study counselor’s identity in competency-based education. From the material emerged that the students are different in terms of agency and the ability to take full responsibility of their study path. Our study reveals that different forms of agency are present in the context of competency-based study counselor education. It is important that educators in competency-based education support the students’ agency in their career and life-design processes.
