Assessing Skills-Competencies
What are critical skills-competencies that university students need to be successful in their academic studies? We have identified 12 essential skills-competencies, based on 6 years of research and feedback from 100s of students. We also have verified these skills-competencies, as being beneficial in the workplace, through feedback from numerous employers and employees. Why assess these skills competencies? The primary reason is to provide the participant with a self-awareness of their skills-competencies, required and interests. Secondary reasons are to match coaches with coachees for the Competencies-Based Coaching (C-BC) System; and assist the coaches in effectively coaching their coachees’. Tertiary reasons can include assisting human resources and managers in developing employee skills-sets, attention to professional development needs and evaluations of employees in the workplace.
The purpose of the assessments was to explore student discoveries of their skills-competencies and provide the matching of coaches with coachees, based on strong skills-competencies (coach) and weak skills-competencies (coachee). Senior level BCOM degree students (3rd and 4th year of studies) participated in completing the skills-competencies assessments to identify coaches and coachees for coaching engagement sessions. The results (mean scores) are illustrated in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1: Skills-Competencies of University Students (N=38)
The results suggest that students were high in competencies of most skills, except for constructing and delivering presentations; constructing case studies; and networking. Student presentations in university courses are components of many course evaluations. There appears to be a lack of student work in constructing case studies, as the curriculum focus is on analyzing cases. The limitations in networking skills can be possibly attributed to the lack of teaching networking skills in the curriculum. The exceptions of the skills-competencies (required for university studies) included constructing case studies, using social media and behaviour-based safety. As mentioned, constructing of case studies appears to be absent in course curriculums and behaviour-based safety tends to more important in workplace safety. Interestingly, using social media appears to be a strong skill among the student participants. Proficiencies in using social media may serve them well, as an important tool of communicating and conducting business, since we need to practice social distancing, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students indicated their interests (agree to strongly agree) in professional development activities for all skills-competencies.
In conclusion, the assessments were very successful in providing self-awareness of skills-competencies and matching coaches with coachees’ for coaching engagements. The assessments can be viewed as valuable resources to university educators in understanding the skills-competencies of students, including perceptions, required and interests. This information may be valuable for educators, in evaluating current curriculum and preparing future student education plans. The value of these assessments for employers can act to develop strategies for recruitment, engagement, professional development and retention of prospective and current employees.
For more information, visit: www.SkillPair.ca
Copyright: Robert (Bob) Gurney, PhD