Workplace Assessment

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Workplace Assessment
- a simple strategy -
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Defining Workplace Assessment

• Assessment of individuals at the workplace
  measured against industry competency standards.
• Competency standards are a description of the
  level of knowledge and skill employees require to
  work competently.

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The 5 Step Process

• 1. Consult with stakeholders
• 2. Determine skill requirement
• 3. Map skills to competency standard
• 4. Assess individuals
• 5. Provide feedback

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1. Stakeholder Consultation

• Employer
• Employee
• Trade union
• In-house trainers (if available)
• Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)

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Employers

• Listen to concerns
• What is the cost?
• How long does assessment take?
• Who determines the final outcome?
• Will l have to pay employees more?
• Who do l trust?
• What are my options?

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Employees

• Why undergo an assessment?
• Determine level of knowledge and skill
• Embark on new career pathway
• Seek higher classification
• Gain credits against a qualification
• Enhance ability to change jobs
• Access important training in key areas

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Trade union

• What is their role?
• Identify essential training for workers
• Ensure remuneration for skills used
• Broaden employment scope of workforce
• Access higher level technology training
• Develop national portability of competence
• Help keep smart jobs in Australia

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In-house trainers

• How do they play a part in assessment?
• Conduct or assist with assessments
• Identify organisational requirements
• Deliver gap training to employees
• Maintain accurate in-house records
• Liaise with RTOs and other stakeholders
• Familiar with employee and employer

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RTOs

• Defining their importance
• Issue qualification/statement of attainment
• Offer gap training
• Recognise Prior Learning/Current Competence
  (RPL/RCC)
• Deliver nationally accredited programs
• Endorsed and funded by governments

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Initial consultation

• Key discussion points?
• Discuss all aspects of process
• Address stakeholder concerns
• Provide examples of outcomes
• Ensure key stakeholders are represented
• Insist industrial swords are left outside

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2. Skills audit

• WHAT IS A SKILLS AUDIT?
• Identification of knowledge and skills required
  for carrying out the work at the enterprise
• PUT SIMPLY
• The raw data needed before aligning employee
  knowledge and skills to competency standards

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Carrying out a skills audit

• Conduct site inspection
• Seek agreement on knowledge and skills
  requirement
• Document examples of application
• Enlist key operatives for advice
• Discuss observations with key stakeholders

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3. Mapping to standards

• Key points
• Identify the standard(s) relevant to the
  knowledge and skill application
• Align knowledge and skills to competency units
• List all pre-requisite units of competence
• Discuss mapping outcome, before proceeding

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Skill audit questionnaire

• Develop a questionnaire that
• lists knowledge and skills required
• maps knowledge and skills to units of competence
• provides employee/employer input
• allows employees to provide examples of
  application

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The assessment

• Once questionnaire is complete
• arrange to meet employee/employer
• discuss completed questionnaire
• provide advice/answers to queries
• commence assessment
• source all relevant evidence
• seek to validate competence

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Conducting the assessment

• There are 3 mains ways of assessing
• Sampling evidence is derived from a limited
  sample of performance.
• Profiling evidence is progressively collected,
  documented and judged over time.
• Portfolio evidence indicates formal training,
  references, projects, work records, in-house
  training, etc.

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The assessor

• Before commencing, the assessor must provide
  evidence of training
• as a qualified assessor
• relevant to area(s) of assessment
• relevant to competency standards

ASSESSORS NOT TECHNICALLY QUALIFIED, MUST UTILISE
THE EXPERTISE OF AN APPROPRIATELY QUALIFIED
PERSON
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5. Feedback

• On completion, the assessor must
• send documentation to employer (only)
• discuss implications/outcomes
• provide advice as to implementation
• arrange to meet employee (if required)
• identify gap training/career path ways
• liaise with an RTO for Certification
• (if required)

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Gap training

• Gap training options may include
• top up to meet needs of enterprise
• short-fall in gaining a qualification
• identification of personal goals
• areas of new/emerging technology
• re-familiarisation of existing knowledge
• essential areas associated with OHS