ABSTRACT
Human capital, skills, abilities, knowledge, know-how, competencies, competences, etc., these different terms are used to talk about what people know and know about how to do their work. Competences have always been an issue for organizations and management. Several variants for considering competences in management emerged throughout the twentieth century, giving greater or lesser importance to labor markets and institutions such as labor legislation, education systems, or industrial relations systems, thus making it possible to support the growth of economies and societal changes. The challenge is therefore for companies, for individuals, but also for national education systems to enable the continuous emergence of the competences necessary for economic performance and the maintenance of employability. Economic and scientific globalization, as well as new and much more complex issues, is now confronting researchers and practitioners in competence management with common problems. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
