A noticeable trend which should give all of us pause for circumspection is that of training vs competency. The noticeable trend is that on paper, employees have the documented training, but in practice the corresponding skills are noticeably lacking. Overall, the issue of training in our challenged and evolving environment is well known. For background on this, read this prior article titled “Critical Need for Training Including Executives”:

https://www.aviationsuppliers.org/critical-need-for-training-including-executives

In this article, however, I want to focus on the topic of competency… to be competent. A simple definition: Competence is the proven ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve desired results consistently.¹

For those of you who may be IAS/ISO/EN/AS accredited by, for example 9001, 9110, 9100, or 9120, these contain a section 7.2 titled Competence. Minimally it contains this:

7.2 Competence

The organization shall:

1. determine the necessary competence of person(s) doing work under its control that affects the performance and effectiveness of the quality management system;
2. ensure that these persons are competent on the basis of appropriate education, training, or experience;
3. where applicable, take actions to acquire the necessary competence, and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken;
4. retain appropriate documented information as evidence of competence;

Two tales from personal experience:

• One of the hardest exams I have ever taken was for the FCC General Radiotelephone Operators License with a Radar Endorsement. Formally this was called the FCC 1^st Class. You had to have detailed knowledge of electronic theory and regulations, and you had to have the electronic formulas memorized and be able to apply them. To this day many avionics MROs accept this as proof that you know electronics. The problem was that I had the head knowledge of electronics but had to go on to OJT to learn how to troubleshoot and do basic testing using the many forms of equipment; initially I had the training but not the competency on the topic. The FCC exam, although tough, did not test for this.

• On the other hand, as a certificated pilot and mechanic, the tests for these consist of 3 parts, the written, the oral, and the practical. The oral and practical portions of the exam are designed to exhibit a minimum level of competency to the satisfaction of the Examiner.

How to Assess Competence¹

The following is a good listing:

- Observation and supervision

- Performance metrics

- Simulation or scenario-based testing

- Peer or manager reviews

- Certification or licensing

Becoming and/or demonstrating competence

• Observation and Supervision – Example: Supervised OJT: If there is an area of weakness with ASA-100 accredited firms it is that OJT is rarely performed and documented despite the standard stating in 4.C:
  • All training, both formal (classroom) and on-the-job training (OJT), shall be documented and the records shall be maintained for all employees who underwent training.

Classic OJT involves a trainer sitting side by side with the trainee. The best OJT models include a checklist of the tasks the employee is to be trained in, and to demonstrate competence in its performance to the satisfaction of the instructor.

• Performance Metrics: Competence is verified through performance, and requires feedback, practice, and evaluation. Performance Metrics is a broad topic and can be applied corporately as in this article titled “23 Employee Performance Metrics to Track”² or tracked to individual performance. Consider productivity and quality of the performed tasks. Also consider data which may reside in your system and through root cause analysis be found to be tied to employee performance, for example:
  • RMAs issued to customers to return products and are connected to employee errors
  • Customer Complaints
  • Results of surveys

• Simulation or scenario-based testing: I like using this. For example, I have a test I use in my consulting business which is designed to check for competence in detecting errors in part’s trace, condition, and documentation. It has pictures, and many samples of typical documents. The test consists of writing any detected issues on a Receiving Discrepancy Log. This is not a knowledge test, it’s a test of the application of previously acquired knowledge.

I remember an interesting test from a customer when I worked at an MRO. The customer utilized us as a subcontractor to perform Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) on their parts using specialized equipment operated by highly trained inspectors to find any cracks in the metal products sent for testing. Every 3 years when it came time for us to be reevaluated as a supplier/subcontractor, the customer would send us a part with a known crack which could not be detected visually; it could only be detected by a skilled inspector using specialized NDT equipment. I know because the inspector brought to my attention that he had rejected the part on a red tag returned to the customer with a scrap recommendation and here it was back again 3 years later. The customer admitted to this tactic, and we remained on their Approved Supplier List.

• Certification or Licensing. There are already a number of certifications or licenses which incorporate various methods to assess competence in our arena, for example:
  • IAS/AS/EN/ISO/IOSA/CASE Auditing
  • 6 Sigma Belts
  • Hazmat/DG
  • Maintenance Technicians
  • Pilots
  • Forklift and other heavy machinery operations
  • NDT/NDI Inspectors
  • Dispatchers

Over ‘n out

Roy ‘Royboy’ Resto
AimSolutionsConsulting.com

Written without the aid of AI generated content

1 – Information from Sam O’Connor’s PowerPoint titled “Training Vs. Competence”

2 - https://www.aihr.com/blog/employee-performance-metrics/