The meaning of sub-competence
Solution 1:
sub-competence (noun) =
The roots of this saying are in the French language, 'la sous-compétence'.
The term is often used in the context of pedagogy. It means those skills that are below, being part of, the most important skill.
So, for example, to be able to write, you need to know the alphabet > knowing the alphabet is sub-competence of the competence of writing.