what is competency?
Dear Andy,
thank you for defining all the things which
competency isn't.
Dear Peggy,
allow me to articulate competency for
you.
In Australia, all training is competency-based.
Universities, which provide Education, not Training, have therefore
excluded themselves from this principle. To understand the difference between
education and training, consider the difference between sex education and sex
training......
Standards of competency (called Training Packages)
are defined for all occupations, except professions (i.e. university graduates),
and these standards have been adopted nationally. The components of competency,
common to all occupations, are:
task skills the demonstration of
an acceptable level of skill in the performance of a task
task management skills the
ability to manage a number of different tasks within the job
contingency skills the
appropriate response or reaction to unforeseen problems or changed
circumstances
job/role environment skills
fulfilling workplace expectations and responsibility
transfer skills applying the
skill to different situations
Key competencies are embedded in all training
packages. They are:
collecting, analysing and organising
information
communicating ideas and information
planning and organising activities
working with others in teams
using mathematical ideas and techniques
solving problems
using technology
In competency-based assessment, evidence is
gathered from the candidate in order to determine whether the desired standards
for workplace performance have been met. The evidence collected must
be
valid the
performance assessment confirms the competency standard
reliable the assessment
consistently measures the standard from candidate to candidate, and from
assessor to assessor
authentic actually measures the
candidate's performance
current
indicates recent performance
sufficient there is enough to
conclude that competence has been achieved
It is important to understand that there is no
concept of passing or failing in competency-based assessment. Candidates are
either competent or not yet competent. There are no degrees of competence - you
either are, or you need more training or practice. Perpetual reaffirmations of
competence are pointless and unnecessary.
The Histotechnology Group of NSW has successfully
implemented a competency-based Training and Assessment program in
Histotechnology during 2002, the details of which I would be delighted to
discuss with any interested reader.
hooroo,
Richard Hazelton.
Histotechs - the brains behind the stains
!
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