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1. Minimise risk
Business strategies are becoming ever
more ultra-low risk. Every member of
your staff is to some extent the
guardian of your organisation’s brand or
reputation, and must therefore be able
to demonstrate the skills required in
order to protect it. A human error in
anything from manufacturing to customer
service can not only threaten your
reputation, but can also lead to legal
action or worse. Certification of job
roles to a standardised level would
clearly offer peace of mind by ensuring
a far lesser likelihood of such an
outcome.
2. Increase staff retention
Contrary to popular belief, if you
support your staff with clear,
meaningful career progression including
helping them gain recognisable
qualifications, they are less likely to
jump ship with their new-found skills.
Research has proved that they will feel
more empowered, valued, motivated and,
in turn, will become more loyal to your
organisation.
3. Hire better
Professional pre-employment and aptitude
testing at the selection stage of the
hiring process will help find the right
person for the job. Selection assessment
can ease the workloads of HR departments
by giving them the necessary
understanding of candidates’
professional competences, even in niche
and specialist skill positions.
Furthermore, in a growing assessment
culture, the selection process will also
be eased by industry-recognised
job-specific qualifications and
certifications listed on candidates’
CVs.
4. Identify management potential
Once the right person is in the right
job, continuous assessment can help you
pinpoint individual areas of strength,
assess potential for leadership and
management roles and then make sure
their career with you goes in the right
direction.
5. Push the pace of industry evolution
A good example is the IT industry. IT
companies know that their future depends
on continuous improvement and rapid
evolution, both in terms of technology
and the skills and competencies of the
people working with it. As a result they
place the highest emphasis on
encouraging IT professionals to take the
course, sit the exam and gain the
qualification at the same rate as new
technology is released onto the market.
6. Gain competitive advantage
If your people are all certified to a
certain level and your competitors’ are
not, you can be confident of having the
edge. The skills and abilities of your
workforce are proven and your
credibility will be unassailable in the
eyes of customers and suppliers alike.
7. Test behaviours, not just knowledge
Tests now exist that can distinguish not
just what people know, but also how they
behave. These are already popular for
use in the hiring process to identify
types of people by the general
behaviours they fit, but these tests can
also be utilised to prove how behaviours
and competencies have changed over time
or as a result of training.
8. Prove ROI on traininG
If a workforce is required by its
employer to undergo training, yet does
not sit a test or receive a meaningful
qualification or certificate for it,
then how does that employer validate
this training was effective? In a
business world where accountability is
ever more in demand, HR departments need
to demonstrate some more tangible return
on investment – and recognised,
measurable qualifications are the best
way.
9. Stay ahead of regulations
As our society becomes ever more
litigious, more and more business
sectors are bound by Government-enforced
regulation. Already in the US, even
estate agents and beauticians must by
law hold the correct qualification
before they can practice - and the UK is
heading in the same direction. It seems
only a matter of time before anyone from
hairdressers to car salesmen becomes
required to be qualified, all in the
name of protecting the consumer. But
this is not a bad thing – it will create
a fairer marketplace, with less
likelihood of honest businesses being
undermined by unscrupulous competitors.
10. Make the move to Computer-Based
Testing (CBT)
If you are serious about assessing your
people for all the reasons above, the
modern way to do it is electronically.
Technology exists to make exams
available for candidates to sit whenever
convenient for them – with more frequent
“testing windows” – without the risk of
exam content being exposed to risk of
cheating. CBT is logistically less
complex than distributing, supervising
and collecting test papers; plus it
offers better security of test content,
test centres, test-takers and their
private data. It can also offer more
valid, relevant and robust testing, as
ever-more-sophisticated psychometric
models are available. It is possible to
use established processes for standard
setting and equating, plus automated
scoring, thereby reducing the
inconsistencies caused by individual
judgement or human error.
Suzana Lopes is VP Sales and
Marketing EMEA of Pearson VUE. To
download her full article
click here. |
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