The publication of the new curriculum and subject guidelines for the National Certificate (Vocational) marks an important development in policy by the Department of Education. To implement this new National Certificate (Vocational), the teaching staff at FET colleges should not only be familiar with the new curriculum and its pedagogic demands, but must also have clarity on the new meaning of the vocational role of colleges. Thus if the new curriculum is to become a reality, systematic attention needs to be given to the professional development of FET college teaching staff. In this article, I examine possible approaches through which FET college lecturers might become members of a knowledge-based profession of the future.