Competency Development Database

Active

Principal Investigator:

Dr. James Thompson

Started:

2025

Funding:

NSF

Location

Lisboa, Portugal

Scope

National and International

Overview

Building a comprehensive database of skill trajectories to better understand how adults acquire, maintain, and enhance competencies throughout their lives.

This ambitious database project aggregates longitudinal data on adult skill development, tracking how competencies evolve over time across different life stages and contexts. By combining assessment data, employment records, and educational histories, we create comprehensive skill trajectory profiles that reveal patterns in competency acquisition, maintenance, and enhancement throughout adult life.

Key Findings

Database analysis has revealed distinct skill development patterns associated with lifelong learning engagement, showing that continuous education correlates with 50% higher competency retention rates over 10-year periods.

Impact

The database is used by over 200 researchers internationally and has served as the foundation for 45 scientific publications and 8 doctoral dissertations.

Objectives

1
Build and maintain a comprehensive database of 100,000+ adult skill trajectories spanning education, employment, and life transitions.
2
Identify critical factors that influence competency development and retention across different adult life stages and contexts.
3
Provide researchers and policymakers with analytical tools to explore skill development patterns and inform intervention strategies.

Documents & Resources

  • Reports
Competency Development Database - 2025 Update
Longitudinal Skill Trajectory Analysis
Database Methodology and Technical Documentation
  • Publications
Thompson, J. et al. (2025) - Skill Retention Patterns in Adults
Journal of Lifelong Learning Research - Vol. 15
Database Analytics: Competency Evolution Models

Highlights & News

  • Workshops
Using Database Tools for Skills Research January 2026
Training session for researchers and policymakers on accessing and analyzing competency trajectory data for evidence-based decision making.
Skill Development Pathway Mapping September 2025
Interactive workshop teaching practitioners how to identify and support optimal skill development pathways for adult learners.
  • Presentations
International Skills Development Symposium February 2026
Presentation of database findings revealing the critical role of continuous education in long-term competency retention.
Data Science in Education Conference November 2025
Demonstration of advanced analytics techniques for tracking and predicting adult skill development trajectories.