An overview of this skill validation and competency management system follows:

The effort

Organizations, consortia, regions and states are increasingly committed to the development of their workforce - from entry-level to high-level professional and managerial positions. Large-scale workforce and economic development efforts are supported by the identification, development and sharing of improved learning tools, methods and resources. Such a continuum of resources facilitates the development of a dependable flow of workers who have the high levels of knowledge and the skills employers require.

Accomplishing the Mission

Thoughtful, high-stakes economic development is enhanced by a skills and competency validation and management system that provides employers, individuals and community colleges with on-going access to credible information regarding:

• Current, employer-specified information about the changing job-requirements of their work
• Resources within the collaborative to develop the knowledge and performance competencies of future and incumbent workers
• The ability to identify and/or customize learning activities and training to meet employers' needs
• Employer-accepted ways to document learners' knowledge and skill mastery
• An aligned and effective way to record, manage, control and share information about employer skill needs, employee skill mastery and community college skill preparation

The solution

The system described below enables educators, students, workers and employers to share appropriate information regarding: employer needs; education and training offerings; and, future and incumbent workers' validated competencies. Here's how this will work:

• The system contains established, research-based skill standards and knowledge requirements for the retail industry
• Working with community college staff, employers select specific skill and knowledge requirements for jobs in their company
• Employers add skill and knowledge requirements to meet local needs
• Community colleges and other learning providers map their learning and programs to industry and employer-specific requirements.
• Future workers and incumbents select appropriate learning activities in order to acquire job related skills, competencies and knowledge
• Future workers and incumbents record progress against industry and employer-specific requirements

As future workers and incumbents master competencies, the system records that trusted sources have validated individuals' mastery of knowledge and evidenced their ability to perform competencies in a work environment. Because the system is web-based, controlled access is readily available. Refinements in content and reporting can be efficiently made to enable employers, learners and educators to track how training leads to desired goals.

This solution is driven by industry and employer needs. It produces a workforce that is able to add immediate value to and better achieve business objectives and it supports the mission of community colleges.

Click here for a copy of the complete white paper: Competency Modeling Overview and Health Care Case Study

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