GROPING DEMANDS FOR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE: Learning and the Development of Expertise in the Information Society

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid change that strongly affects the structures of knowledge production and the role of experts in society is peculiar to today's society and working life (Achtenhagen, 1994; Gibbons et al., 1994; Reich 1992; Scott, 1996; Stehr, 1994; Tynjala et al., 1997). At the same time the development of information technology and information networks has changed the access to information and knowledge. These changes in society, professional culture and knowledge production make it necessary to reanalyze the nature and the content of professional expertise. Today's experts must, for example, be able to work in different contexts, possess diversified social and communication skills, make use of modern information technology, select relevant information from growing information streams and, above all, they must continuously construct and re-construct their expertise in a process of life4ong learning.