The proportion of population in the European Union over the age of 65 is constantly increasing. According to the Eurostat information in the year 1960 in the European Union people over  the age of 65 formed 10% of the whole population, in the year 2005 it was 23% and in the year 2050 it could be 27%. The demographic situation, the aging society in the world results the loss of qualified workforce and the collapse of pension system. Therefore, it is important to invest into senior workforce.  The situation is the same at schools, as for example in Estonia already today 10% of teachers at vocational education is 65 or older.

The above mentioned situation brings along new challenges to schools. Managers should revalue their personnel strategies and mainly their attitudes in order to support senior teachers to continue work at school. But for that managers should know what support senior teachers’ professional development and what hinders this.

Relying on the above mentioned the survey question is as follows: what factors (both internal and external) support senior teachers ‘professional development at vocational schools. To solve the above mentioned survey question one should know:

1) how senior teachers themselves describe their professional development components (learning, developing, reflection, involvement); and

2) how management at schools (directors, head-directors, managers of study units) describes professional development of senior teachers.

The aim of the study is to explain and analyse the readiness of schools to support professional development as one very important management strategy for success of every day work of senior teachers at vocational schools.

I will try to understand and interpret in this study the main components of professional development of senior teachers at vocational schools in their social environment. I rely on constructivism, according to which knowledge is always influenced by social context, support of others and team learning.

Professional development in my study is a process in which teachers’ professionalism is becoming more perfect, and where teachers either individually or in team with others revalue, renew and extend their responsibilities in teaching process and where they gain and develop their knowledge, skills, planning experience and practice. However, professionalism is something that changes due to new expectations and is connected with the philosophy of the profession. So professional development improves professionalism which is dependent on the status of profession.  And professional development reaches from individual level to the level of profession.Professionalism is something that is constantly changing and that is constantly re-defined according to new expectations. Professionalism means the elaboration of the quality of service of the profession. The cognition of profession of a senior teacher follows such keywords as expert knowledge, service and autonomy. At the same time the status and prestige of the profession has decreased in the society .

Professional development consists of two parts: 1) attitudinal (intellectual and motivational); and 2) functional (productivity and work procedures).

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