Why is competency based training & assessment important today?

By Graeme Lees

Mention competency based training to a small business operator in retail service stations and C-Stores and they probably immediately assume that this is a big business solution. They more than likely also make the assumption that it costs too much.

However, things are changing. There are more and more flexible options for training staff today that are available to the small business operators. Let's look at some of the key issues surrounding small business competency based training.

  • Reduced risks and improved business performance
  • Cost effective access to new training technology
  • Outsource support from trainers/assessors and mentors

Reduced Risks/Improved Business Performance.

Nearly every small business that has been around long enough will have experienced an issue that has cost or potentially could have cost, lost sales, lost time injuries, investigation and fines. The list of compliance areas is a long one - OH&S, Trade Practices, Tobacco Retailing, Food Safety and EEO to name a few.

The sign off for each staff member's compliance competency - skills and knowledge can take a lot of time and investment. There is a risk of being out of date with the assessment information especially within the area of compliance laws. Most of the laws don't allow any leniency if your information, safe work practices, etc and training content is out of date.

The small business operator is there to get an ROI (Return On Investment) from their business. They need qualified, competent staff assisting them to run the stores to ‘best practice' levels and in accordance with their own targets and policies.

Cost effective access to new training technology

If a small business operator was to spend all their time personally coaching and assessing their staff's competency on a one to one basis; to do it right they would probably become so bogged down training, assessing and keeping records that they wouldn't be able to work on the value of their business - that is improving service, sales and customer retention and loyalty; not to mention the growth and future strategy of their business.

Training is an investment in the strength and future of a business - not a cost. The common trap that some operators fall into is under investing in training & assessment and/or bandaiding their training processes, which can leave inconsistencies in levels of knowledge. Other areas that can cause concern is the quality of the Training Records kept.

While many small business operators remain welded to the paper based versions of their training processes, a number of flexible products and processes are available today that deliver to the operator peace of mind and support that all of the above have been monitored and controlled.

When you balance up the costs and potential costs of the operator, spending time with each staff member, researching and updating their training content, assessing the training results, keeping the records and so on - the expense both tangible and intangible could be a real factor to consider. Some industry experts would put this figure per new staff member in excess of $2500.

Outsource support from trainers/assessors and mentors

The World Wide Web has become a major part of everyone's life today and there are products available to small business operators that provide "peace of Mind" and quality training. Many of them also provide assessment of competency, where the support of external assessors in the assessment and monitoring of staff training frees up the small business operator to work more on their business.

An example would be atmp's Risk Management e-learning packages that costs only $165 per person (for on line work only) and up to $100 per person(extra) for the RTO to conduct an auditable/final assessment on each staff member, usually with phone interviews. Measured against the suggested new staff member training cost of over $2500, this surely is a valid investment in an operators business.

AN issue that many operators have raised is that they don't have the ability to provide work time access to the internet for staff to train at work. Many staff members when asked to train themselves on the web and complete their assessments appear to be happy to do this out of work hours on their own PC's and lap tops. Even if an operator invested in one store training lap top, the cost in acquiring these units today is again less than the proverbial $2500 per staff member.

Steps to follow when building competency based training in small business:

1. Identify the provider you wish to partner with. Discuss the potential outcomes for your operation - identify with the provider the key competency areas you need to include in your training strategy. If you engage a provider with a high degree of intimacy within your industry, then this process is easy. Make sure you discuss and agree the level of commitment and time required by both parties.
2. Decide on the level of investment and outcome in your training packages. Discuss the flexibility you need in your operations. Do you wish to remain paper based? Will you retain the responsibility of assessing the resulting competencies of all your staff? How often are your training materials updated and refreshed? Is e-learning worth investing in? How can you leverage the support of the training provider and their assessors to ensure you get value from your competency based training and assessment?
3. Identify with the provider what is available in the form of LMS (Learning Management Systems) attached to their packages. How do you want to keep your training records? What sort of training reports will you want?
4. Discuss with the provider the potential for your staff to achieve nationally recognised Statements of Attainment when they successfully complete your training program and the appropriate assessments.

Once you have built the relationship with an outsource training provider, the options for refresher training of staff who have been with the small business operator for years, should also be investigated.


 

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