DES-1.3 – Skills for Success Practitioner Tools & Resources

Benchmark

Benchmarks refer to measuring participants against specific standards and learning goals. Benchmarking allows educators to identify participants’ strengths and weaknesses, which can then inform future instruction and be used to measure performance gains.

Skills for Success Assessment and Training Tools. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/training/initiatives/skills-success/tools.html
Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES). http://www.towes.com/
Employability Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT). FutureWorx. https://futureworx.ca/employability-skills-assessment-tool/
Skills Builder Benchmark. https://www.skillsbuilder.org/benchmark
Enhancing higher education system performance. OECD. (n.d.). https://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/Benchmarking-Report.pdf
Language benchmarks. Canada.ca. (n.d.). https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/pub/language-benchmarks.pdf

Complexity

Adult Learning Theory, Assessment, Skills for Success Best Practices, Skills for Success FrameworkASS-1.1, DES-1.3, SFS-2.4

Complexity is a task’s level of difficulty. Skills for Success are necessary for every job, but the skills are used at different levels of complexity depending on the demands of the job.

Lew, Julia & Hardt, Michael D. (2011). Controlling Complexity: An Introduction to Question Structure. SkillPlan B.C. Construction Industry Skills Improvement Council. https://www.skillplan.ca/controlling-complexity/
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2010). Readers’ Guide to Essential Skills Profiles. http://en.copian.ca/library/learning/hrsdc/guide/guide.pdf
Essential Skills Profiles: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/essentialskills
Skill Components and Proficiency Levels: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/training/initiatives/skills-success/learning-steps.html

Confidentiality

AssessmentASS-1.4, ASS-4.1, DES-1.2, DES-1.3, DES-1.5

Confidentiality is keeping participants’ personal information private, and not sharing it with others in the educational institution.

Privacy refers to a participant’s right to be free from intrusion or interference by others in the educational institution.

The Privacy Act, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA): https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96165_00
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA): https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/privacy-laws-in-canada/the-personal-information-protection-and-electronic-documents-act-pipeda/

Needs analysis

Needs AnalysisASS-1.1, DES-1.1, DES-1.2, DES-1.3, DES-1.4, DES-2.1, SFS-2.1, SFS-2.4

Needs analysis is the process of identifying and evaluating training needs. It’s a consultative process to uncover critical information about the training purpose, audience, format, timing, constraints, etc.

Organizational Needs Assessment. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2010/rhdcc-hrsdc/HS4-74-4-2008-eng.pdf
Sectoral Needs Assessment. AWES. https://awes.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Sectoral-Needs-Assessment.pdf
Essential Skills Workplace Needs Assessments and Individual Training Needs Analysis. Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. https://youtu.be/SWS3x8-9F9s
Needs Analysis: Definition, Importance & Implementation. https://research.com/research/needs-analysis

Research Methods

Adult Learning Theory, ResearchDES-1.2, DES-1.3, SFS-3.6

Research methods refer to the way of collecting and analyzing data as well as the tools that are used when researching. These can be either qualitative (experiences, emotions, behaviours) or quantitative (numerical data, measurements, statistical analysis).

Federighi, Paolo. (2019). Research Methodology in Adult Learning and Education. Journal of Educational Sciences. 39. 58-73. 10.35923/JES.2019.1.05.

Skills for Success Framework

Skills for Success FrameworkDEL-2.1, DES-1.3, DES-3.1, SFS-1.1, SFS-1.2, SFS-1.4, SFS-2.1, SFS-2.3, SFS-2.4, SFS-2.5

The Skills for Success Framework is based on the skills needed to participate and thrive in learning, work and life. Skills for Success include skills that are foundational for building new skills and knowledge and important for effective social interaction. These skills overlap and interact with each other, and with other technical and life skills. They are inclusive and can be adapted to different contexts.

Launch:

Skills for Success Framework (2021): https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/training/initiatives/skills-success.html
Research report to support the launch of Skills for Success (2021): https://www.srdc.org/media/553148/sfs-srdc-final-report-en.pdf

History & Evolution:

Young Adult Literacy Survey (1986)
Survey of Literacy Skills Used in Daily Activities (1989)
National Adult Literacy Survey (1993)
Jones report (1994): Levels for Basic Skills: a research note for the definition of basic skills and development of measurement instruments. Human Resources Development Canada: technical report.
Mosenthal & Kirsch (1994): Defining the proficiency standards of adult literacy in the U.S.: A profile approach. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED379531.pdf
OECD’s Definition and Selection of Competencies Project (2005): https://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070367.pdf
Human Resources Development Canada’s Essential Skills Research Project (1994)

Training Partner

Diversity and Inclusion, Indigenous, Needs AnalysisASS-3.1, ASS-3.3, ASS-4.1, DES-1.1, DES-1.2, DES-1.3, DES-1.4, DES-1.5, SFS-1.2, SFS-3.8

Training partners include individuals and groups who are involved in and/or impacted by training programs, such as participants, funders, training organizations, employers, instructors, supervisors, mentors, peers and community members. The competency framework uses the term training partners to avoid negative associations with the term stakeholders.

Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. 9 Terms to Avoid in Communications with Indigenous Peoples. https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/9-terms-to-avoid-in-communications-with-indigenous-peoples
Government of BC. Terminology in Indigenous Content. Be mindful of the words you are using.