The vocational studies teacher training programme is by far the shortest teacher trai-ning programme in Sweden. All teacher education is to have a scientific basis and this short training programme, which is basically of a general pedagogical nature, does not give any scope for in-depth study of the field. (Bill 1999/2000:135) The pro-posed new teacher education that has been presented will mean a further reduction. (SOU 2008:109). How this short training pro-gramme will be able to meet requirements that teachers must have sound knowledge of his/her subject with a scientific basis and also be able to develop an academic attitude towards his/her role as teacher generates several questions. One important issue in this context is what vocational studies teacher students and teachers who teach on vocational programmes believe are important skills: professional experience and/or vocational training at university level. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the views of active vocational studies teachers and vocational studies teacher students regarding which skills they mean are impor-tant for teachers teaching vocational programmes at upper secondary school. The questions posed are: - How do vocational studies teacher students and active vocational studies teachers value the balance between a vocational studies teacher’s skills linked to professional experi-ence, vocational skills and an academic attitude? - Are there differences in how students and active teachers value these skills and are there differences depending on what programme they belong to or are there any other factors that show differences and similarities? - Do these differences have any qualitative effects on upper secondary school? Theoretical framework Theories of profession are used as tools of analysis focusing especially on the term ”foundation of knowledge”. According to theories of profession a foundation of knowledge constitutes the degree of scientific basis within a profession where the degree of scholarship is valued highly. Using a more free interpretation, the term is used in order to relate to teachers’ train-ing/education and their attitudes towards the content and scope of training. (Selander 1997, Ekholm 1997). Since the vocational programmes have arisen from varying vocational fields with stronger or weaker links to working life, theories of curricula will also be applied using Linde’s (1988) codes. In short, it can be said that these codes consist of essential skills, service and educational policy and they identify to what extent the vocational programmes are linked to school and working life respectively.

Method 151 active vocational studies teachers and vocational studies teacher students have given writ-ten answers to questions serving to identify points of view concerning teacher professionalism and the evaluation of professional experience, vocational training and academic attitude. The questions were multi-choice where informants were asked to rate statements using a five-grade scale. There was also space to make comments. The questions were answered in conjunction with organized meetings so there was no dropping off.

The results are still being processed but so far they show that there are no clear-cut answers while at the same time there is a tendency that the teachers and students who have academic qualifications within their professional field believe that academic training within the vocational subject is necessary. Those teachers and students who only have professional experience value experience as being more important that academic qualifications. Some of the respondents who value academic edu-cation highly see university education as a tool which can be used to give the vocational field higher status and a way for them to incorporate more theoretical knowledge into the profession. However it does not emerge whether they see a scientific attitude as being part of their professional mission. Many of those active in vocational fields which traditionally have not been associated with academic training do not see university education as being particularly important.