Section outline

    • (The principles of competency assessment are describe in detail in WMO-No. 1205, which is available in all WMO languages. A WMO-Member organization implementing competency assessment and, in particular, individual competency assessors should be be familiar with that publication and related professional sources.)


      Principle 1: Competency assessment focuses on what an individual can DO, not just on what the individual knows. Competency is knowledge put into practice, therefore competency assessment is an assessment of demonstrated evidence of practice, not only of background knowledge.

      Principle 2: WMO competency frameworks define the high-level competencies in terms as job responsibilities. Performance Criteria describe the actions that must be take to fulfill responsibilities. It is the performance criteria that best describe what must be assessed.

      Principle 3: Competency assessment compares an individual's performance to the standard, as stated in the competency framework and the individual's job description. It is NOT a comparison between individuals.

      Principle 4: Competency assessment is not directly related to completion of training, although training achieved can provide support to an assessment outcome.

      Principle 5: Competency assessment is best accomplished in real working conditions and based on direct observations or authentic simulations of the work environment. However, in some cases, the conditions for observation present themselves only rarely. In these cases, either (1)  responses to questions about workplace situations can be evaluated, or (2) convincing, documented evidence of accomplishment by an individual (cases) can be collected in a "Portfolio" of evidence and reviewed to offer support to the assessment process.

      Principle 6: Competency assessment is an ongoing process, not a one-time snapshot of capability. It plays an important role in the development of skills and abilities of those assessed by identifying individual improvement needs. The outcome of a competency assessment is either "competent" or "not yet competent."

      Principle 7: Competency assessment includes recognition of acquired competencies as a result of work experience. Demonstration of achieved education and training is not required. Demonstration of successful performance IS required.

      Principle 8: Performance criteria rarely occur as isolated events, but are combined to make up larger job tasks. During an assessment, several performance criteria may be assessed simultaneously for some tasks.

      Principle 9: No two organizations are identical in terms of size, means and processes, and so no two competency assessment processes will be the same. This Toolkit is designed to provide a framework that is adaptable to all countries and territories, from largest to smallest, from highly developed to least developed. using the same competency assessment framework. It provides a variety of tools in which to accomplish competency assessment. Each organization will create its own assessment system suitable for its own conditions.

      Principle 10: While competency assessments may differ in terms of their specific processes, they should all demonstrate the following qualities:

      Validity refers to the extent to which the assessment measures what it intends to measure, in other words, the competency and performance criteria of the applicable competency framework. An assessment judgement is valid if the assessed activities, according to the methods and tools used, integrate the required knowledge and skills and demonstrate the ability to apply these in a workplace task. A team made up of assessors and supervisors should review assessment tools to decide if they trust that validity will be met by the evidence they will gather. The tools can be modified over time, based on observed outcomes, to increase the validity of assessment methods.
      Reliability refers to the level of consistency and accuracy of the assessment outcomes (judgements on competence) for all individuals being assessed. Assessment outcomes should also be consistent at different times and places, and regardless of the specific assessor conducting the assessment. Given the variability in assessment tools and assessment situations (for example, simulation contexts, interpretations of questions, and variable day-to-day conditions of on-the-job observations), 100% reliability is impossible to achieve. But with good assessment design, practice and observation of results, one can gain trust that sufficient reliability is reached. Using multiple tools is likely to increase reliability by increasing the amount of evidence. 
      Flexibility refers to the opportunity for individuals to negotiate some aspects of their assessment, such as the time and place. All candidates should be fully informed of the purpose of competency assessment, the assessment criteria, the methods and tools that will be used, and the context and timing of the assessment. When the workforce is dispersed across a varied geographical area, some conditions of assessment might need to be customized to appropriately meet workplace conditions.
      Fairness refers to assessment methods that do not advantage or disadvantage particular individuals or groups of individuals.  Assessment methods may need to be adjusted for particular candidates (such as people with disabilities or from different cultural backgrounds) to ensure that the methods used do not create adverse conditions that might prevent them from demonstrating competence. For example, an assessment should not demand a higher level of English language skills than that required to perform the workplace standards described in the competencies and job description. It should also not demand skills of using tools and data products typically unavailable to the individual.