Competency Based Training Explained

What is competence?

Being competent means that:

• You can perform a task/job/activity to an industry standard
• You can repeat it time and time again in a consistent way
• You have sufficient knowledge and skill to enable you to operate a piece of machinery in a range of different situations

To be consistently effective you need to understand the theories, models, principle methods and techniques on which your work activities are based. People with this knowledge and understanding are able to decide and explain what and how things should be done.

What is Competency Based Training

No two students will arrive at The Operator School with the same workplace and operational experience. Competency based training allows for this. As you progress through your training course you will be given credits for the skills (called competencies) which you perform well and you will repeat tasks only in areas where you have problems.

In simple terms, competency based training is almost the opposite of a “driving test” i.e. doing it once to pass an exam. Under competency based assessment you are assessed under a wider range of operating conditions but the assessment is far more flexible than a “driving test” which is a simple pass or fail situation.

For any competency to be signed off you must demonstrate it without any errors.

When all the competencies/tasks have been successfully completed in your workbook / logbook you are ready to undertake your final practical competency based assessment. Therefore, it is obvious that students will progress at a different learning pace, good operators may struggle to grasp the theory, whereas a workplace manager may fly through the theory but lack confidence when operating the machine.

Due to the high risk nature of this activity, even after you have fulfilled the requirements of the course, as a final test of competency you will sit the mandatory challenge tests (theory and practical).