Beyond Manitoba
Sometimes the best way to attract good people is to show them how easy it will be for them to leave you. The Royal Air Force in the UK is an employer of choice because they can demonstrate the employability of their “graduates”.
John Konrad is an international researcher in Vocational Education and Training [VET] and a policy advisor to British and European governments He is a national and European Expert on the Transparency and Recognition of Qualifications and Competencies.
Boeing Competency Development Project
Overview of Project
Boeing Winnipeg implemented Recognizing Prior Learning (RPL) to document competencies and develop individual learning plans for all 71 job positions.
Needs/Opportunities
In part, the project was developed to document competencies consistent with the AS9100 audit process. As well, the documented competencies would provide Boeing with the ability to match learning activities to job competencies and to create assessments for benchmarking employees to these job competencies.
Current qualifications for all positions within the organization had not been updated and maintained.
Applying RPL
RPL principles and practices were used to create a Skills Assessment Matrix to identify the skills, and knowledge required for a job, as linked to learning activities and to proficiency levels. As well, a process to recognize prior learning was created to help assess the skills and knowledge levels of employees.
Impact
The resulting processes assists Boeing in its Leadership Workforce Planning Process to ensure a continuous supply of qualified candidates is built and maintained for all working levels and leadership positions within the organization.
Lessons Learned
Boeing applied RPL to its existing human resource software system to incorporate Essential Skills (Essential Skills link). The project demonstrated the flexibility of RPL in capitalizing on existing human resource investments in the work place.