Competencies

competencies are the knowledge, skills and attitudes (easily remembered by the initials K.S.A. or Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) used by an employee to carry out their job in the most effective (quality) and efficient (quantity, speed) manner. 

knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) can be further explained as follows:

		Explanation
K	Knowledge	Things learnt in a classroom or training – theory, background knowledge.  the trainer will decide what is learnt, when it's learnt (the order it's introduced and how it's learnt)
S	Skills	Things learnt in no particular order which are usually described using a verb. e.g. write, speak, listen, cook, draw
A	Attitudes	How you deal with situations, people and work Usually described using an adjective.  e.g. happy, sad, angry, frustrated,

as a trainer, thinking about competencies is important simply because if you need to feedback to a student about their need to improve, they are far more likely to accept feedback in areas which are either knowledge or skills, rather than attitudes.

knowledge and skills are external - suggested and passed on by others and can easily be improved or changed, simply by attending a training session or through coaching and feedback.  attitudes however arise from inside a person and are the summary of what they have experienced.    

Practice

decide which of the following competencies are Knowledge, which are Skills and which are Attitudes.  Then decide if they have more than one of K, S or A:

1. Technical Ability

Carries out company standard service at all times.  Monitors & maintains quality and productivity.  Plans in advance.  Avoids waste

  

2. Communicates:  Listens, Speaks

Willingly speaks and listens to all.  All communication is carried out in a friendly respectful manner, regardless of nationality, clothes, role, age, ability or gender

  

3. Solves Problems & Makes Decisions

Uses initiative, asks for further information to understand problems.  Checks facts and data.  Makes rational decisions from this information

4. Manages Time

Works productively & actively under pressure

5. Focuses on the Customer

Demonstrates willingness to deliver a world class service with a ‘why not?’ attitude.  Relates well to all types of customers.  Responds quickly to their needs, their reactions & their feedback

   

6. Professionalism

Manages own impression on customers and coworkers.  Maintains a positive outlook.  Controls emotions during difficult situations, stress and/or fatigue. 

  

7. Complies with Policies & Procedures (P&P)

Follows company and regulatory P&P.  Remains updated with amendments and changes

  

8. The Company

Up to date knowledge about the company and marketing campaigns.  Aware of competitor activity & industry trends.  Ambassador for the company

9. Leadership

Builds team spirit.  Shares information & expertise.  Aims for respect rather than being liked.  Understands the team is only as good as the weakest member/s

image taken from here

Glossary - Key Concepts

key concepts in training & development are explained below:

Coaching

takes a problem and turns it into a project.

coaching supports clients on a one-to-one basis whilst they bridge the gap between how things are and how they want things to be.  in bridging this gap, clients develop greater self-awareness, take more personal responsibility and become better motivated to achieve their goals.  coaching works on attitudes and habits.

Development

skills which may be used in the future, often carried out on a one-to-one basis.  an example of this would be career development

Facilitator

supports others as they achieve exceptional performance.  a helper and enabler.

Mentor

a relationship, usually between a senior and a junior member of staff. 

the senior member takes an interest in helping the progression of the junior employee in the business.  this help often takes the form of imparting their wisdom and experience gained over a number of years.

Training

classroom instruction and activities which help to improve skills in a specific topic or area which is useful at work or hobby.  practice an action or verb, with feedback from someone else on how to improve.  

Trainer, Trainee

Trainer – someone who runs training courses

Trainee – someone who attends a training course

  

Time Frame

Distant Past	Recent Past	Now	Near Future	Distant Future
		Coaching	Coaching	Coaching
		Training	Training
	Mentoring	Mentoring	Mentoring
		Development	Development	Development

image taken from here