Recently, the Canada West Foundation published an article titled, “Beyond the Rules: Moving Safety from Compliance to Competence.” The argument for implementation of competencies to develop a skilled workforce is long established. However, recently the argument for competencies to ensure compliance and safety has been coming to the forefront. In the article linked above, the Canada West Foundation cites that a company,” Waiward Steel LP achieved a dramatic improvement in its safety record – more than 800 per cent decrease in the number of lost time claims over its historical averages,” due to the implementation of a competency-based training initiative. While improving workplace safety is invaluable as it is measured by injury and, in the worst case, deaths, there is also a cost savings measure that can be appended to implementation of a competency-based training strategy. For Wayward Steel, the cost saving was approximately $1,500,000.00 in direct savings over 3 years. Considering the cost of developing competencies for a workforce, the return on investment for competency enabling a workforce is very attractive.
How Does This Work?
Competencies analyze what it takes for a person to do a particular task. Moreover, good competencies offer direct insight into how the best workers perform tasks. If you apply this idea to training and aim it at safety and compliance frameworks, then the result is a workforce that is properly trained to understand, anticipate, and comply with safety or compliance requirements.
The Competency Group has been conducting a highly specialized and cost-effective method of developing competencies for over 25 years. We have witnessed the ‘before-and-after’ effects of implementing a competency-based training strategy. The return on investment is dramatic. Along with safety and compliance savings, competencies aid in organizational streamlining, boosting workforce morale, enhanced productivity, and overall improvement in workforce efficiency.
To learn more about how to implement competencies in your workforce, please contact us today at info@www.thecompetencygroup.com