Developing Competence

In order to become competent, the employee needs to be able to master the knowledge, apply the knowledge and skills in the workplace, and meet the requirements and standards of the workplace. As such, simply reporting the time spent in experience on the job is not sufficient to ensure that the required application level in the workplace has been reached.

Therefore information needs to be collected about the way that the employee undertakes this experience. Has the employee just watched others do the job? Will an employee become skilled by just helping another in the workplace? Has the employee worked in different work environments? The way in which the experience has been gained will reflect the quality of the learning gained.

Variables for developing competence - a schematic diagram

Notes

Lines on the graph are indicative characteristic of activities related to competency development.
The training shown with the symbol are part of an off-the-job learning process; they normally have their own separate assessment.

Based on experience working with learners, the concept of 'Learning Value' has been developed. The 'Learning Value' takes account of the variables affecting the quality of the workplace experience. This is the basis of the experience feedback to the employee. The 'Learning Value' will grow as the employee reports on-the-job experiences, and this progress is compared with a target, for that area or competency of the work.