What is Competency Based Learning?


Göran Kattenberg: Competencies are a combination of knowledge, skills and attitude required for a given job role. A typical employee job role, or competency profile, requires mastery of approximately 15-20 competencies. The competency profile is important for employee training programmes, since an employee should only be required to learn competencies not yet mastered for his or her job role. Subsequently, competency based learning will allow for more effective and efficient knowledge transfer.

Why is competency based learning so important for organizations?


Göran Kattenberg: In order to improve business performance, organizations need optimal performance from their employees in their job roles. This is the only way to ensure maximum customer satisfaction, retention and profitability. An employee might have the knowledge and skills required for a job role, but without the right attitude, job performance will suffer. The same would apply for people with the right attitude and skills but without the proper knowledge.

What type of organization would benefit most from competency based learning?


Göran Kattenberg: Competency based learning is suitable for any organization, but especially so for organizations that deal with customers on a daily basis who rely on an optimal customer service such as retail, banking and insurance. Customer satisfaction in these industries is driven by the customer facing employees.

Other industries that rely on an optimal daily performance are oil and gas (energy) and pharmaceuticals. In these industries a worker's attitude toward security and compliancy is essential. Knowledge and skills alone are not enough.

What are the challenges facing organizations implementing competency based learning?


Göran Kattenberg: The main challenge for organizations implementing competency based learning is convincing senior management to invest the necessary resources into people, systems and learning content. Dedicated learner investment will result in achieved business goals. Investing in people through competency based learning is one of the most effective ways to achieve business performance. Senior management must comprehend value of cultivating employees' knowledge, skills and attitudes.

What's in it for the learners?


Göran Kattenberg: Learners and organizations are collaborating to improve performance. Employees (and learners) will experience a focus from the organizations towards both personal and business performance. This should motivate them in their current positions as well as benefit them later on in their careers. Desired career paths and the competency profile required for those roles can be taken into account, to better prepare them for their future roles.

How does Eedo support competency based learning?


Göran Kattenberg: EEDO supports competency based learning by connecting learning objectives and competencies to relevant learning objects, content and courses within ForceTen, Eedo's Learning Content Management System. ForceTen provides easy to use end-user functionality such as the self test capability within the learner portal and the digital portfolio functionality which allows learners and employees to relate earlier acquired knowledge towards competencies and learning objectives for specific job roles. ForceTen is able to generate individual learning paths for competencies not yet met and provides a complete lifecycle for managing individualized competency based learning.


Do you want to learn more about the competency based learning features in Eedo ForceTen? Click here to download the brochure.