HOW COMPETENT ARE YOU?

With such a bold statement, the start point has to be that of defining COMPETENCE. Competence relates to the application of knowledg
and skills to carry out a particular task, to an agreed standard, in a given amount of time and with repeatability. So how does one become
competent? Throughout our lives we are continuously gaining knowledge. From school to college to university our knowledge, in a range of subjects
progressively grows. Facts andfigures become the foundation of our knowledge enabling us to better communicate and translate our daily tasks into meaningful outcomes.


Knowledge is an enabling factorwithin our lives and by applying it correctly we gain experience and together, with an element of memory, we can repeatedly apply our knowledge and continuously achieve a satisfactory outcome. Within the world of work, we are continuously influenced by time constraints, meeting targets, and health and safety issues - not to mention that of quality management, traceability, responsibility and accountability.


Measurement of "people performance" has now become common practice and COMPETENCE is a key performance indicator.
The need for our workforce to be deemed competent has changed the face of education by placing a greater importance upon training enabling people to develop and gain real world skills through effective hands on training. By combining education and training the journey to improved levels of competence begins. Within the total scheme of it all, competence levels to meet particular vocational needs must be established, and through approved centres of vocational excellence working closely with employers and trade associations, standards can be set. Such standards then underpin the workforce within a particular industry representing a minimum standard of achievement against an agreed performance criteria...

Published: 25th September 2009