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Skills www.thefis.org 9 experience and behaviours (SKEB), but will also be influenced by the environment, the equipment provided, the instructions, and the supervision the individual receives. Competence is not a binary notion; it is rarely either present or not present as organisations and people, the employees, evolve. A CMP needs to reflect the balance required between organisational and individual competence. Levels of supervision are key, a less competent person can do more under higher levels of supervision whilst ensuring coaching and mentoring exist to build skills, knowledge, and experience. But when a supervisor is coaching and mentoring, they will not necessarily be supervising other tasks and the supervisor may require additional support to develop the functional competencies associated with coaching and mentoring. So how do we determine the competency of all these organisations, all these people, in all these roles, carrying out all these tasks and functions in order to prove competence at every level and meet the requirements of legislation. The key is to break it down, so FIS looked at (see figure 1): • Organisational Competence – which is ensuring individuals are given adequate support, management and/or supervision, time, information, tools, resources and an appropriate environment to deliver a competent outcome. • Functional Competence – which is the tasks divided into functions (e.g. interpret, advise, select, measure). Functional competence is needed to successfully complete given tasks. • Occupational Competence – which is the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (SKEB) to be considered and/or assessed to ensure the level of competence meets the requirements of an occupation. As shown in this CMP diagram if the overlap is a person, team or organisation taking on a task they must have the requisite functional and occupational skills supported by organisational competence to be deemed proficient and ensure success. A viable CMP will record these elements and act as a reference for review and updating. From the references consulted for the guide the following definitions were derived: • Competency management is the process of identifying, managing, and developing employee competencies. It aligns employees’ skills and behaviours with the organisation’s goals. When used as a framework to recruit, develop, engage, and retain employees, it gives organisations a competitive advantage. • a CMPmust be able to track the competence requirements of the organisation and identify any remaining and/or emerging gaps. It should also be able to track the experience of people and add to their learning to provide an evidence base for assertions of competence. The BSI Flex 8670 gives recommendations for core criteria for building safety to promote high standards of protection for people in and around buildings. It is applicable to buildings of all types and scales. The diagram suggests a process approach that can be applied to organisations, functions and occupations (see figure 2). However, once the content of the CMP is determined there will be a constant need to revisit, revise and update. The CMP will be a living document, hence the rotational structure of this process. “The most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings. Competence development is most efficient when it adheres to the organisations core values in its entirety. If the organisations learning and development plans do not fit the culture, the much-needed outcome will not be accomplished. Therefore, to ensure competence the culture must inspire learning.” Human Capital Theory CIPD The FIS Guide suggested a CMP can consist of the following sections: Section One – Introduction - a brief description of your organisation’s strategy, vision, mission, and/or values will help the reader identify the organisational culture. It would be good to include an organisation chart. Section Two - Competency Framework Part One – Organisational Competence and Job Descriptions - there are numerous sources for the formulation of job descriptions. FIS has some example job descriptions and will share them on request. Section Three – Competency Framework Part Two – Occupational Competence - as a starting point for occupational criteria please see www.ukstandards.org.uk Section Four – Competency Framework Part Three - Functional Requirements - a competency framework should identify the functions in relation to the activities and criteria listed in your organisations job descriptions. Section Five - Competency Records and Training Plan – should record and track individual training and achievement for direct and self-employed people to support and verify individual proof of competence. Section Six – Appraisal Process - an individual’s level of competence must be objectively assessed. For the CMP, FIS strongly recommends recording appraisals and monitoring any follow-up action. Section Seven - Succession Plan - succession is about the replacement of people as they are promoted, leave, and/ or retire to ensure there is continuity in the organisation’s operations, it may also include organisational expansion. FIS has been working with My Professional Pass (MPP) to help support a universal approach to competency passports in the sector. The FIS Competency Passport system www.thefis. org/skills-hub/competency-passport/ will store, retrieve, view, and monitor training and qualification achievements of individuals and records of experience. Individuals registered with MPP, self- employed, or directly employed can give organisations access to their records. A training plan can be linked to the MPP platform to show the qualifications and achievements held by employees. The system can inform employees when mandatory training is due, record completed training, and can store certificates of experience and video evidence of activities. The records belong to the individual and organisations need to ask individuals for access. MPP records can include job descriptions. Contact FIS for further information, advice and guidance at info@thefis.org or call 0121 707 0077. Figure 2. Process approach that can be applied to organisations, functions and occupations 1. Identify competencies 2. Define criteria for competence 3. Assess existing competence 4. Conduct performance appraisals 5. Create development plan(s) 6. Implement learning 7. Conduct follow up