Types of evidence which can be used to substantiate skills.

Evidence can include a range of written and non-written forms. It is advisable to include a variety of methods and a range of evidence types, as this increases confidence in the assessment. Evidence requirements must also meet industry needs.

Certifications, formal qualifications, internal training

  • evidence of courses or training completed in or outside work: These could be certificates, diplomas or degrees, diplomas or certified transcripts of grades and subjects/courses undertaken, i.e. certified statements of results. These may have been gained through formal training, RPL or internal training. Examples include Senior First Aid certificate or completion of a higher-grade medical aid course (such as Workplace Level 2 First Aid) conducted within Australia. Check currency.
  • licences or tickets held: e.g. First aid, Forklift license, Heavy vehicle driving license, Site competencies (for example, Yellow card, RISSI card, Mine Inductions - RRTO Induction Standard 11, White Card (Construction Induction), Restricted Electrical Licence Training etc.).
  • workshop, conference or training programs: certificates of attendance. The applicant will need to indicate whether they attended, or actually participated in any of these, e.g. as a facilitator of a presentation or session or part thereof, or prepared any or all of the documentation, handouts, or PowerPoint etc.

Workplace documents

  • resumes, logbooks portfolios or e-portfolios: listing work history, key responsibilities, current skills, and other relevant experience
  • industry or merit awards
  • position descriptions (job specifications)
  • employment contracts which detail the applicant’s  job specifications with dates to check for currency
  • performance development (appraisal) plans
  • project or work activity reports: Photographs or pictures or visual recording of activities conducted. These “Point of view glasses”, i.e. in which visual and audio evidence recorded by the applicant or a colleague can demonstrate the applicant’s skills. This also allows groups to see demonstrations on screen. This is particularly useful in identifying the skills of workers geographically remote from the employer link to case studies
  • media articles: about the applicant at work, or the projects or in the teams which provides evidence of skills. e.g. Journals or diaries, work notes, emails or correspondence written by you, Minutes of meetings informing on your duties, Completed worksheets (task-sheets, job-sheets), Attendance records, Logbooks, Budgets, Recent payslips (These can demonstrate the applicant’s job level).

Documentary evidence for skills obtained through unpaid work

  • relevant voluntary work: e.g. the applicant may be a volunteer with the Country Fire Service. Engaging with conversations or volunteer engagement statements may provide relevant detail about all their responsibilities and skills.
  • relevant experiences in community organisations or professional bodies:e.g. the applicant may have been a treasurer in an organisation, which demonstrates the trust in which they are held. Coaching sport or other teams is relevant for any line management role.

Third party evidence

  • third party reports or testimonials: Another person may be able to write a detailed description of everything that the applicant does in their work role. This may certified, or be accompanied by a statutory declaration, signed and witnessed appropriately. A template for a standard third part report is included at the end of this section.
  • feedback or letters of appreciation from clients, partners or employers
  • supporting documents: emails or letters of support from employers, colleagues or community groups
  • membership of professional associations or community groups
  • referees: contact details of colleagues, clients or community representatives who are willing to be contacted to verify the applicant’s information.

Documentary evidence needs to be authenticated to be valid.

Competency standards are a set of benchmarks used to assess the skills and knowledge that a person must demonstrate in the workplace to be seen as competent. These benchmarks are packaged into combinations to form units of competency.

The Unit Title is a brief statement of the outcome of the unit of competency for example "Maintain workplace safety".

The Unit descriptor broadly communicates the intent of the unit of competency and the skill area it addresses.

Prerequisite units. These are units that should be completed before commencing the unit.

Unit application statement. This component describes the unit's application within the work place. It indicates the environments in which the skills and knowledge may be applied and sets out the parameters of the unit, its potential audience and its relationship to other units in the Training Package.

Elements. Sub tasks or skills describing the outcomes which contribute to a unit.

Performance criteria Level of performance for each element.

Required skills and knowledge

Required Skills and Knowledge need to describe the essential skills and knowledge required for competent performance Knowledge: identifies what a person needs to know to perform the work in an informed and effective manner. Skills: describes the application of the knowledge to situations where understanding is converted into a workplace outcome. While knowledge must be expressed, units of competency, their elements or performance criteria should not be entirely knowledge based unless a clear and assessable workplace outcome is described. Knowledge in units of competency: should be in context; should only be included if it refers to knowledge actually applied at work; could be referred to in the performance criteria and the range statement. 

Essentially the information in this section of the unit of competency is detailing learning outcomes. A learning outcome is a clear and specific statement of what students are expected to learn in a unit and to be able to demonstrate at its completion. Especially when read in conjunction with the Range Statement, which varies and sets out the conditions under which the competencies and skills are performed.

7 Key competencies

Key competencies (generic skills) are in every unit of competency. Information on the Key Competencies and the relevant performance level is usually contained in a table in the individual competencies. All competency standards are required to be mapped against the Key Competencies.

The 7 key competencies cover:

  • Collecting, analysing and organising ideas and information
  • Expressing ideas and information
  • Planning and organising activities
  • Working with others and in teams
  • Using mathematical ideas and techniques
  • Solving problems
  • Using technology.

The key competencies are described at three performance levels.

  • Level 1 = the level of competency needed to undertake tasks effectively
  • Level 2 = the ability to manage tasks
  • Level 3 = concepts of evaluating and reshaping tasks.

An assessment of a unit of competency also includes an assessment of the key competencies.

Range statement

This sets out the variety of contexts or situations in which performance can take place. For example, does the unit cover 'all diesel, hybrid, and petrol engines' or 'petrol only'.

Evidence guide

Assists with the interpretation of the unit and may include information on:

  • Underpinning knowledge
  • Practical skills
  • Critical aspects of assessment
  • Literacy and numeracy requirements

Plus:

  • Information on the industry requirements.
  •  Date when the training package was developed.
  •  Detailed information to assist assessors and those delivering the training.
  •  Contain advice on units of competency that should be assessed together or that should be completed prior to assessing the unit.

Contact me for help with your specific set of competencies 

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

This is where you can use previous learning, work experience, volunteer work, leisure activities, travel etc to prove you have a certain set of skills. If you are looking to gain a qualification you don't need to apply for RPL for a full unit or competency although it's usually more efficient and cost effective if you do. In fact RPL should be an ongoing activity as part of your study and you can apply any time.

The thing about RPL is that the onus is on the student to provide the evidence. This is where I can help. Having conducted RPL assessments I know what sort of documentation to prepare and the forms of evidence that are acceptable to an assessor.  I can walk you through the whole process and then put you in touch with an RTO that has your unit on their scope of registration. You give them all your evidence and they can accredit you with the unit you are applying for. 

Call me to discuss your RPL needs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft skills are a combination of people skills, social skills, communication skills, character traits, attitudes, career attributes, and social and emotional intelligence (among others) that enable us to navigate our environment, work well with others, perform well, and achieve our goals when we combine them with the hard skills (the ability to perform tasks).

The Collins English Dictionary defines the term "soft skills" as "desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include "common sense", the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude." The points below explain things in more detail.

Communication: listen & understand, speak clearly & directly,  write effectively for the audience, use numeracy effectively, establish & use networks, persuade effectively, negotiate positively, empathise, be assertive, share information.

Teamwork: contribute to productive working relationships and outcomes, work with people of different ages, gender, race, religion or political persuasion, know how to define a role in the team, apply teamwork skills to a range of situations, identify the strengths of team members, coach, mentor and give feedback, read independently.

Problem solving: apply a variety of problem-solving strategies across a range of areas, develop creative, innovative, practical solutions, show independence and initiative in identifying problems and solving them, solve problems in teams, use mathematics to solve problems, test your assumptions relevant to the situation, resolve customer concerns regarding complex issues.

Self-management: have a personal vision and goals, evaluate and monitor your own performance, have knowledge and confidence in your own ideas, take responsibility.

Planning and organising: understand short and long-term planning, manage time and priorities – set timelines, coordinate tasks for yourself and with others,take initiative and make decisions, adapt resources to cope with contingencies, establish clear project goals and deliverables, allocate people and other resources to tasks, plan the use of resources, participate in continuous improvement, develop a vision and a plan to achieve it, evaluate risks, and alternative approaches, collect, analyse and organise information, understand basic business systems.

Technology: have a range of basic IT skills, apply IT as a management tool, use IT to organise data, be willing to learn new IT skills, be aware of the impact of technology on your field and ensure your skills are up to date.

Learning: have enthusiasm for ongoing learning, manage your own learning, be open to new ideas, be prepared to invest time and effort in learning new skills, acknowledge the need to learn in order to accommodate change, be willing to learn in any setting – on and off the job, contribute to the learning community at the workplace, use a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peer support, networking, IT, formal courses, applying learning to technical and people issues.

Initiative and enterprise: translate new ideas into action, identify opportunities not obvious to others, adapt to new situations, develop a strategic, creative, long-term vision, be creative, generate a range of options, initiate innovative solutions

As a Lecturer with TAFE SA I worked with many businesses observing first hand the skills we need to function well both as an individual and as a team member. I delivered many soft skill sessions or incorporated the skills into other units.

Whether you need some staff development for your business, some private coaching with your current studies, or perhaps want to apply for RPL, contact me now. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

A training package, in Australia, is a set of nationally endorsed standards, qualifications and guidelines used to recognise and assess the skills and knowledge people need to perform effectively in the workplace. Training packages are developed by Service Skills Organisations or by enterprises to meet the training needs of an industry or group of industries. Training packages prescribe outcomes required by the workplace, not training or education.

Training packages can be difficult to understand by those not in the educational field. They can include educational pathways from the AQF, Competency descriptors and performance criteria, and qualification requirements (which mix of competencies can be used for a qualification and the Training Plan for getting there).

If you are a prospective student, currently studying or an employer contact me to help with your understanding of Training Packages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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