CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2022 35 TRAINING: 2 • The third being the application and development of those skills and knowledge within the work environment over a period of time (the experience) and where occupational competence is arrived at, and finally; • The fourth being the measuring, maintaining and updating of the occupational competencies. Although occupational competence is broad and applies to normal, typical work situations, these naturally vary through new or changed circumstances, meaning that ongoing learning and understanding is required to maintain the competence abilities of individuals. This may be where a new task is encountered or where working in a new environment e.g. the mechanic experienced in working on earthmoving plant but needing both additional training and time to adapt to say, working on cranes; or the 360 excavator operator, proficient in earthworks operations but entering the rail-plant sector. The level and extent of any re-learning will vary, taking into account factors such as the individual’s existing abilities and experience, along with additional and appropriate support e.g. mentoring, etc. Measuring Occupational Competence To determine occupational competence means having some form of benchmark and one that is equivalent to others carrying out the same occupation. This signifies that a form of industry-agreed standard is required, with the accepted instrument in the sector being National Occupational Standards (NOS). These are statements of competence and describe the standards of performance that individuals must achieve when carrying out functions in the workplace, along with specifications of the underpinning knowledge and understanding. NOS are developed and maintained by Standard Setting Organisations (SSO) which for the construction sector, is predominately CITB and who consult with employers and other stakeholders across the UK. Each occupational NOS are developed by employer groups who specify the required minimum skill levels, coupled with identifying any variations of workplace performance, along with the associated underpinning knowledge. Recent work involving CPA members was an update to the Controlling Lifting Operations NOS, which incorporates the standards for slinger/signallers, lift supervisors and lift planners. Although each NOS are developed as individual measures of specific competence within a unit, the spread of skills and knowledge as well as the behavioural requirements for occupational competence - such as working with others, conforming with health and safety, etc.- means that units are grouped in suites. The suite identifies the core and any optional units for the occupation as well as the sector they relate to. As an example; providing advice and information to customers would be a core requirement for any hire controller and is listed as a mandatory unit within the suite, but displaying stock may only be relevant to certain sections of the hire sector and therefore listed as an optional unit. The suite identifies both the required mandatory units and minimum number of optional units for particular pathways. NOS can also be used by employers to develop or supplement the skills and knowledge of their employees, as well as setting or defining job descriptions. National Vocational Qualifications NOS are also used to develop competence-based qualifications, such as NVQs and the Scottish and Welsh equivalents as well as apprenticeships. NVQs are a formal qualification used to directly measure workplace competence and adopted by the construction sector since 2003 - although NVQs were originally designed back in the mid-1990’s for experienced workers in industry but who did not have formal qualifications. To achieve an NVQ, the ‘candidate’ under the guidance of an assessor, collects evidence of competence from the workplace such as employer statements, witness testimonies, videos of their work, etc., along with demonstrating underpinning knowledge.