To measure competencies, you can define:
Proficiency levels, which are specific to a single competency
Proficiency rating scales, which you can apply to multiple competencies
Each proficiency level that you define for a particular competency has a brief description and a detailed behavioral indicator that enables an assessor accurately to identify a worker's proficiency level.
The following table shows proficiency levels and behavioral indicators for the competency Merchandise Display.
| Level | Description | Behavioral Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novice | Has no or minimal merchandise-display experience. Has completed no recommended training. |
| 2 | Beginner | Has completed five or fewer merchandise-display activities. Has completed training level 1. |
| 3 | Intermediate | Has completed 20 or fewer merchandise-display activities. Has completed training level 2. |
| 4 | Advanced | Has significant merchandise-display experience. Has completed training level 4 and trains junior staff. The worker's merchandise displays are known to improve sales of displayed items. |
| 5 | Expert | Is an acknowledged expert by his or her peers inside and outside the enterprise. Has significant merchandise-display experience. Has completed training level 6 and trains both junior and senior staff. |
The behavioral indicator for each proficiency level is detailed and specific: you could not apply these behavioral indicators unaltered to a different competency.
Proficiency levels are part of the competency definition.
Each level in a proficiency rating scale comprises a brief description and can include a behavioral indicator. However, the behavioral indicators are general enough to enable you to apply the scale to multiple competencies. For example:
| Level | Description | Behavioral Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novice | Cannot work unsupervised. |
| 2 | Beginner | Can perform simple tasks unsupervised, but generally requires guidance. |
| 3 | Intermediate | Can perform basic tasks unsupervised, but requires guidance for more complex tasks. |
| 4 | Advanced | Can perform most tasks unsupervised, but requires occasional guidance. |
| 5 | Expert | Can perform all tasks unsupervised, and supervises others. |
As this rating scale lacks detail relevant to a specific competency, you could apply it to various competencies, such as Negotiating with Suppliers, Planning Store Layouts, and Inventory Control.
See: Rating Scales
Proficiency levels are suitable if your enterprise competencies are varied and you want to define accurately what is expected of your workforce. The result is multiple, equivalent measurement systems. Proficiency rating scales are suitable if generic proficiency levels provide enough detail for your purposes and if consistency of measurement is important.
You can use both methods. For example, you could use a proficiency rating scale for your core competencies and proficiency levels for specific job or position competencies. Whichever approach you adopt, give high numbers to high ratings and low numbers to low ratings, so that analysis of the ratings gives consistent and sensible results.
For unit standard competencies, which can lead to formal qualifications, you must define outcomes and specify assessment criteria. Outcomes are nationally defined behaviors or performance standards specific to the unit standard competency. Each outcome has a set of assessment criteria. A registered assessor (from the awarding body, for example) determines whether a worker has achieved the unit standard competency by measuring the outcomes using the assessment criteria.
You can also measure unit standard competencies using proficiency levels or proficiency rating scales. For example, you may want to measure all enterprise competencies using a general rating scale, regardless of whether they lead to formal qualifications. However, the proficiency rating scale or proficiency levels must be in addition to the outcomes and assessment criteria you define for unit standard competencies.
During an appraisal, you assess a worker's competency levels using the measurement scheme defined for each competency.