Competency Assessment: How To Do It, and How To Get a Big Return On Investment

1. Competency Assessment:How To Do It, and How To Get a Big Return On Investment Presented by Terry Ogle, January 2011

2. Introduction • Will give some insights on what has worked very successfully in implementing competency and assessment solutions • Let’s start with what “very successfully” means…

3. A Case Study • In a plant operating environment with an aging workforce (need to hire replacement for retirees) over a four year period operating efficiency went from 62% to 82% • During the same period training time to competence across all positions was reduced by 50% • Huge gains in profitability, huge reductions in overhead. • How was this done? The key is assessment of competence!

4. Competency Profiles • The goal is workplace competency; a prerequisite to assessment is a structure of competency profiles • A competency is a workplace behavior that by definition is observable • If it’s observable it can be assessed • Assessments are more objective if there is a formal statement of performance criteria, conditions of observation, etc. poll

5. Who Does the Assessment? For dialogue For feedback on learning needs General not specific +ve –ve halo Yes!

6. What Supports the Assessment? • Behaviorally anchored assessment • Performance criteria • Performance criteria detail • Evidence supporting assessor’s judgment • Personal Electronic Portfolio to which referenced e-files are uploaded poll

7. Competence: Use Project management software • PC: Create and define a project • PC: Enter and edit information about project tasks and resources • PC: Update information about project progress • PC: Select and use appropriate tools and techniques to display and report on project status

8. PC: Enter and edit information about project tasks and resources • PCD: 2.1 Identify types of tasks, milestones, deadlines and constraints • PCD: 2.2 Enter and edit information about project tasks • PCD: 2.3 Identify time and resources required for the project • PCD: 2.4 Apply a task calendar for scheduling tasks • PCD: 2.5 Enter and edit information about resources for use in the project • PCD: 2.6 Mark any dependencies between tasks • PCD: 2.7 Assign resources to tasks

9. Automation is Crucial • Access to competency profiles, assessment records and evidence required for employee, supervisor, instructor and assessor • Personal electronic portfolio with capability to reference evidence to required competency • Automation should enable workplace assessment • SkilSure software is designed for this role poll

10. Importance of Electronic Medium • Changes the workplace assessment paradigm • Traditionally the evidence that supported workplace assessment was on the job checklists, etc. • There is still a place for “documentary” evidence… but • Currently: non-documentary evidence is predominant Poll • Some evidence stats from one of our servers across variety of employee types:

11. Why is 67% Non documentary? • Assessors and employees like it it’s more authentic, easier to obtain, often has more “face validity” • Employers like it because it’s easier to implement than documentary assessment and is not a bureaucratic nightmare • Use of smart phones, tablets, laptops in workplace makes it easy to collect non documentary evidence • Automation allows the direct uploading and referencing of evidence into a competency assurance application like SkilSure®

12. Key Elements of Assessment That Will Give Good ROI • Competency profiles: • Performance criteria • Performance criteria detail • Workplace Assessment behaviourally anchored supported by evidence • Automation • E-portfolio to contain referenced evidence • Defined assessment process with clear roles for actors • New paradigm for evidence

13. Handheld Assessment • Smart phones, tablets, laptops in workplace makes it easy to collect non documentary evidence poll

14. Why DO This Kind of Assessment? • The focus is workplace performance, improving that improves all the key business metrics; productivity, profitability, etc. • Outcomes of learning are now directly associated with workplace performance; not only are you evaluating the learners but also the workplace relevance of learning resources

15. Why Require Evidence? • Makes assessment more objective, has high face validity for employees, unions and supervisors • In an organizational environment where compliance is an issue it is an auditable record of the support for the assessment

16. How do I get started? • Build competency profiles • Design competency model • Select automation tool • Pilot • Review data from pilot • Modify • Communicate • Roll out poll

17. Thank you!

18. SkilSure Development Directions Presented by Terry Ogle, January 2011

19. Development Themes • 1 stop shop for administration • Progress reporting • Quality assurance • Funding reporting

20. Development Themes • Killer QCF • ULN record • Credit calculator

21. Development Themes • QCF and apprenticeship Integration: • tracking, • assessing, • learning, • testing

22. Development Directions • Changes in the workplace assessment paradigm • Traditionally the evidence that supported workplace assessment was checklists, etc. • Currently: non-documentary evidence is predominant • Compression: • File compression technology • Guidance for users • Hardware upgrades • Some evidence stats from one of our servers across variety of employee types:

23. Development Themes • Mobile Assessment technology: Smart phones; Tablets, etc. • Software issues; displays, browsers, mapping, etc.

24. Thank you!