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Case In Point: Several U.S. community colleges are adding a new program for natural gas field technicians. Developed by the Gas Technology Institute, the Certified Operations Technician (COT) Training Program is designed to turn new entrants to the industry into fully-functioning, skilled employees. The program consists of one core course and four or more elective courses that focus on specific competencies in gas transmission and distribution. The twoweek core course gives trainees a comprehensive understanding of the natural gas industry, making them better equipped to select a career path within the industry. Many of the elective courses also satisfy regulatory requirements for Operator Qualification (OQ) and requalification. The COT Training Program is organized according to skill sets rather than job titles allowing trainees to match task expertise development to a company specific job title. For more information visit http://www.gastechnology.org/webroot/app/xn/xd4f49.html?it=enweb&xd=3Tr
ainingConfer/3_4TrainingCert.xml.
Case In Point - The National Center for Agriscience & Technology Education at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, fosters the development and use of advanced manufacturing technology competencies in the agricultural technology and biotechnology sector. Through its web-based clearinghouse, AgrowKnowledge, the organization builds industry partnerships across the U.S. to help ensure that education materials are designed to prepare graduates for technologically advanced workplaces. The Center focuses on adding rigor to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses, incorporating industry standards and workplace competencies into classroom instruction, and helping educators develop professionally. AgrowKnowledge has developed career cluster pathways grouped by common knowledge areas and skills required for occupations in key industry sectors. These pathways provide partners with critical benchmarks for improving curriculum and instruction. Learn more at: http://www.ictcenter.org/about_us/ate_centers.html
Case In Point: The output of a collaboration between the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the U.S. Department of Labor, Building Blocks for Building Skills: An Inventory of Adult Learning Models and Innovations is a set of tools, resources, and examples which identify the key components of effective adult learning and skill development programs. The report is intended to be a resource for Workforce Investment Boards, employers, workforce development organizations, or traditional education and training providers who are planning to develop learning initiatives that are linked to the economic needs of a region. It contains examples of real programs which have used the building blocks model to achieve their goals. The report's model focuses on three basic steps for developing a learning initiative: (1)Need-focused Planning and Analysis, (2) Progress- and Success-focused Program Design, and (3) Adult-centered Implementation, while acknowledging other important components such as Strategic Partnerships and Evaluation. For more information visit http://www.cael.org/pdfs/BuildingBlocksforBuildingSkills.
Case In Point: Pennsylvania Careerlink of Lancaster County is launching an innovative course that combines basic academic skills, soft skills, and technical skills training. Driven by input from local manufacturing employers, the program is designed to be a short and affordable way to prepare students for the workplace. Similar to the foundational tiers of the Building Blocks framework, the course reflects how workers need personal effectiveness, academic, and workplace competencies to be successful in addition to industry and occupation-specific skills. For more information, visit http://www.jobs4lancaster.com/.
Case In Point: Michigan Works! Job Force Board, a business-led policy and oversight organization responsible for responding to the challenges of building a highly skilled workforce and a competitive economy, and Bay de Noc Community College are partners in utilizing the Building Blocks Competency Model to address the unique labor market demands of the Upper Peninsula region.
During the recession, companies streamlined many jobs, combining multiple functions into a single job. In discussions, employers emphasized that in addition to specific skill sets, they sought adaptable employees with the personal competencies depicted in the first tier of the Building Blocks Competency Model. The Job Board uses the model for two audiences: to help employers visualize and fully articulate their workforce needs, and to screen jobseekers to determine their readiness for training at the college, or their need for referral to appropriate auxiliary services. In turn, the community college benefits from referrals of the strongest candidates, and uses the upper tiers of the model to inform curriculum. For more information, visit www.jobforce.org and www.baycollege.edu.
Case in point - The Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) working with business and industry has developed a textbook with instructional materials and assessment tools for high performance manufacturing in the area of production. For more information, visit http://www.msscusa.org/?page_id=171.
Case in Point: The Missouri Center for Career Education (MCCE) has developed more than 100 competency profiles for career education programs. Each profile lists measurable learner objectives (MLOs) and task statements for career educators to use when developing curriculum for local schools. Career educators are encouraged to identify expected learning outcomes, and then select the most appropriate profile or profiles to use as a basis for their programs. MLOs and task statements may be selected, revised or supplemented to make a profile that reflects the needs of local programs and advisory committees. For more information, visit http://www.missouricareereducation.org/for/content/comppro/. View a sample profile for Home Health Aides at http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/healthprofile/Home_Health_Aide.p
df.
Case In Point: The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) works to bring together appropriate state and local partners to align education and workforce programs with the future talent development needs of companies. To support this effort, MERIC develops competency models for targeted industry clusters using the Employment and Training Administration's Building Blocks framework. MERIC has completed models for Energy, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Transportation, and, most recently, a collection of models for six Green sectors: Building, Energy, Farming, Manufacturing, Public Administration, and Salvage Remediation. The model reports identify target occupations and lists knowledge areas, tools and technology used in the occupation, and relevant education programs for each. For more information and to view the other Missouri Target Industry Competency Models, visit
http://www.missourieconomy.org/industry/index.stm.
Case in point - The STEM Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of several enrichment opportunities designed to increase the number of local young people informed and prepared to enter academic and professional careers in the technical professions. The STEM Program features a vertical curriculum that comprises four essential knowledge areas which form the basis for success in science and engineering. For more information, visit http://web.mit.edu/stem/STEM_Home.html.
Case In Point: The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) accredits post-secondary certificate programs in the field. The 2010 Accreditation Guidelines feature a curriculum framework based on the Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM), developed as a collaboration between the Employment and Training Administration and education and industry leaders. Accreditation applicants must demonstrate how their courses align with the GTCM framework to ensure their programs teach the competencies required by industry.
Geospatial intelligence integrates an array of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in support of national security interests. USGIF brings together the many disciplines involved in the geospatial intelligence sector to exchange ideas, share best practices, and promote the education and importance of a national geospatial intelligence agenda. For more information, visit http://usgif.org/education/accreditation.
Case In Point: The Northeast Green Education Center (NGEC) has customized the Residential Construction Competency Model to create a Weatherization Model. The model is posted on NGEC's Web site to communicate industry needs to students, the education and workforce communities, and the general public. NGEC is using the model to support the creation of training programs and curricula for the green workforce, focusing on weatherization occupations.
The Residential Construction Competency Model was developed as a collaboration between the Homebuilders Institute (HBI) and the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). The model includes competency requirements for the application of green building practices to the construction or renovation of residential buildings. For more information about NGEC and the Weatherization Competency Model, visit http://ngec.org/. The Residential Construction Competency Model can be viewed at http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/pyramid.aspx?CONR=Y.
Case In Point - The National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Training (npt2), centered at Alabama Southern Community College, Thomasville, has established national skill standards for workers in the pulp and paper industry. A DACUM process was utilized at four regional sites to identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for a pulp and paper plant operator to perform duties and tasks competently. The standards were then used to identify gaps in existing industry training and to develop industry-prescribed curriculum to assure a skilled and technologically advanced workforce. Since plants frequently are in remote, rural locations, recruitment is often problematic. To address this issue, the npt2 developed the "scholarships-internships-jobs" model to secure sufficient future workers with the appropriate education and workplace skills to meet the industry's skill needs. Learn more about npt2's programs for "growing a technologically advanced workforce" at http://www.npt2.org/?DivisionID=5587&DepartmentID=5490.
Case in point - In spring 2004, the University of Washington's Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program was one of four programs selected for a national demonstration project aimed at evaluating the utility of a "competency-based educational system" to prepare its graduates more effectively for entry into the managerial work environment. The project is sponsored by the National Center for Health Care Leadership working with Hay Group, Inc., which has developed a behavioral competency model that serves as a foundation for the university's Master of Health Administration competency-based curriculum. For more information, visit http://depts.washington.edu/mhap/mha.
Case in Point - Founded by the governors of 19 western states, Western Governors University (WGU), a distance learning institution, takes curricula designed around competencies to the extreme. Unlike traditional universities that are credit-based, WGU is a competency-based institution, meaning that degrees and certificates are awarded based on a student's demonstrated knowledge and skills instead of accumulated credits. Recently, WGU has joined with state workforce agencies and healthcare institutions to develop the first national, accredited, online competency-based bachelor's degree program aimed at preparing students for initial licensure as registered nurses. This innovative program combines WGU's online, competency-based academic approach with intensive clinical simulations and clinical practice at partner hospitals supervised by onsite clinical coaches serving as WGU adjunct faculty. The pilot program is slated to begin in July. For more information, visit www.wgu.edu/rn.
Case In Point: Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Virginia takes a competency-based approach to teaching and instructional evaluation. CTE programs use specific course task lists and "Student Competency Records" as comprehensive internal documentation of student achievement. CTE programs enhance this "self evaluation" system by providing students the opportunity to verify skills learned by passing "Job Ready" occupational competency assessments from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI). NOCTI assessments are not considered industry certifications, but are valuable tools in providing external credentialing for a CTE program as well as being used for program improvement purposes. For more information, visit http://www.cteresource.org/about/index.html.
Case in Point: The University Consortium for Geographic Information Science has developed a comprehensive Body of Knowledge to define the competencies needed for success in a variety of professions in the geospatial industry. The resource specifies what aspiring geospatial professionals need to know and be able to do. The Consortium anticipates this resource will serve as the basis for developing curricula; comparing educational programs; informing professional certification; and guiding employee recruitment, selection, and professional development. For more information, visit http://www.ucgis.org/priorities/education/modelcurriculaproject.asp.
Case in Point: As part of its strategy for continuous employee development through lifelong learning, the U.S. Census Bureau established the Census Corporate University (CCU). For current supervisors and managers, CCU provides Management and Executive Development competency-based curriculum that emphasizes four key context areas of public management: public leadership, business management, institutional environment, and valuing people. For professional employees, CCU offers Professional Development and Leadership competency-based courses to advance knowledge and skills necessary for professional and organizational growth. CCU also offers Technical and Administrative Support Staff competency-based training courses that build confidence, capability, and competitiveness while increasing skill and knowledge needed for a strong technical and support staff. For more information, visit http://www.census.gov/hrd/www/benefits/lifelong.html.
Case in Point The State of Hawaii's Competency-Based High School Diploma Program provides adults who are non-high school graduates a valid option to obtain the Hawaii high school diploma. The program enables adults to further develop their communication skills-reading, writing, listening, and speaking; computation skills; problem-solving skills; and interpersonal skills. The activities are designed to help adults become functionally competent individuals within five units: Community Resources, Government & Law, Health, Occupational Knowledge, and Consumer Economics. For more information, visit http://doe.k12.hi.us/communityschools/diplomacompetencybased.htm.
Case In Point: The Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) is an annual event that provides high school students the opportunity to collaborate on real world engineering challenges. The RWDC enables students to apply the lessons of the classroom to technical problems that are being faced in the workplace. To better bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace and prepare students for professional work, the RWDC development committee is planning to develop new curriculum. The new curriculum would tie into the challenges; incorporate education standards for science, technology, engineering, and math; and include workplace and industry-wide competencies selected from the Aerospace Industry Competency Model. In doing so, the curriculum would introduce high school students to the competencies needed in the workplace and help "bridge the needs of industry with the future of education." For more information visit http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/rwdc/index.html.
Case In Point: The Security Industry Association (SIA) undertook a training initiative to meet the Security industry's need for timely and relevant training. SIA developed a competency model to represent the skills needed to effectively perform seven critical security jobs, and built a curriculum map of the courses that teach the needed skills. The model and related curriculum map are resources for writing skill-based job descriptions, recruiting and selecting workers, training new workers, developing training and coaching programs. For more information visit http://www.siaonline.org/content.aspx?id=790.
Case in Point: To develop competent employees dedicated to the stewardship of America's national parks, the National Park Service (NPS) developed a competency-based training curriculum. The curriculum, NPS Fundamentals, focuses on eight universal competencies which identify skills and knowledge critical to the success of every NPS employee. The five-part course of study provides NPS employees the opportunity for continuous self-development and supervisors the opportunity for measuring this development. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/training/fund/index.htm.
Case in point
- To keep pace with technological change and benchmark the effectiveness of the manufacturing workforce, the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) has recently created skill standards that identify critical work functions, competencies, and performance indicators of competency achievement. The skill standards will be used for many purposes, including certification and curriculum development. For more information, visit http://www.msscusa.org/
Case in point - Louisiana Technical College developed their automotive technology course curriculum around the competencies identified as necessary for automotive technicians by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and the certification test requirements of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). For more information about the Louisiana Technical College automotive technology curriculum, visit http://greateracadianaregion.net/programs/automotive/index.htm#Description.
Case in Point: To ensure that their educational process more accurately reflects a commitment to graduating caring and competent physicians, Indiana University School of Medicine initiated a competency curriculum in 1999. The curriculum consists of nine competencies. Assessing and certifying achievement of increasing levels of the nine competencies is sequentially integrated into each year of the curriculum culminating with a competency transcript upon graduation. The first class of students to enter under the four-year competency curriculum graduated in 2003. For more information, visit http://meca.iusm.iu.edu/body.cfm?id=80.
Case in point
- The American Chemical Society developed the Voluntary Industry Standards (VIS) Database as a web-based application that can be used by two-year colleges and local area chemical industries when developing course curricula. Among other things, the database enables users to assess the gaps between the importance placed on a particular competency in local industry against the emphasis placed on this competency in course curricula. Schools and colleges can use this information to develop curricula that represent the skills that workers need in their local areas. For more information, visit https://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/coldfusionapp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=
mapp_cts_page
Case in point - Austin Community College has developed over 50 Austin Competency Analysis Profiles (ACAPs) to be used as the basis for program curriculum development. The profiles consist of lists of competencies for a particular occupation. These competencies are developed through a job analysis process involving business, industry, labor, and community agency representatives from throughout the Austin, Texas area. Each ACAP identifies the competencies needed to both enter and advance in a given occupation or occupational area. For more information, visit http://irt.austincc.edu/IDS/curriculum/acap.php
Case in Point: The One-Stop Competencies Workgroup developed a competency model that includes key characteristics, basic skills, and competencies of front-line staff in California American Job Centers. The model will serve as the basis for a voluntary system of competency-building. The first stage of the system will include converting the competencies into a model curriculum. Once a curriculum is developed, education and training courses that meet the model curriculum can be identified. Where gaps exist, training courses can be developed and offered to American Job Center staff and management. As a final step in the system, the Workgroup recommends establishing competency measurements and measurement tools. For more information, visit http://www.worksmart.ca.gov/find_one-stop_career_center.html.
Case in Point: In fall 2004, the graduate students and professor of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Practicum class at Central Michigan University created a Leadership Competency Model. Development of the model included conducting interviews; reviewing relevant and existing literature; and identifying taxonomies of relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities in the Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET). To aid in the development of leaders, the model serves as a basis for creating tools, including a multi-source feedback instrument and a handbook of developmental activities for leaders. For more information, visit http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/leader_model/CompModel/TECHMAIN.htm#Executive_Su
mmary.
Case In Point - The Advanced Technological Education Resource Center in Biotechnology, located mainly at the City College of San Francisco, sponsors the Bio-Link website which supports industry-driven technical education, use of industry expertise in curriculum development, and links between technical programs and industry organizations. Bio-Link provides background on skill standards development and links to the national bioscience industry skill standards, and information on the state-funded Austin Competency Analysis Profile. On this foundation, Bio-Link develops and promotes expanded biotech education programs, professional development for instructors, improved curriculum, and use of technologies to create an information-sharing system. Bio-Link's online clearinghouse collects and disseminates curricula and instructional materials specifically targeted to biotechnology technicians and bench scientists. To explore, visit http://www.bio-link.org/
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