Hello, I am endeavouring to create a company wide skills audit for between 1500 and 2000 people most of which do not have access to a computer and are on multiple sites nationwide so it will need to be paper based and data entried afterwards. I have a list of the basic skills to use and am planning on grading structure of 0 - 3 (0 no ability, 1 brief knowledge, 2 working knowledge, 3 expert) however I also want the staff to think a little outside the box and consider the skills they may have obtained from their home lives e.g. having children - getting them up, ready and taking them to nursery / school on time every day etc shows time management etc. Does anybody have any examples they can share or can share some information of the best way to go about this. In addition I am wondering how we can assess (again the size and logistics present problems here and we don't have the resources to go and physically assess everybody) the only way I can think of is that they detail soime info/examples to demonstrate their skills. Any help/direction would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance Sue
3 Responses
Skills audit
Hi Sue,
I had to do this for roughly the same amount of people and this is how I did it.
I created an excel spreadsheet template and I set up a face to face meeting with the managers of each department to sell the benefits of completing this piece of work.
I asked for every to skill assess themselves and then for the managers to confirm the accuracy of the form through coaching and mentoring. This would then identify skills gaps in particular roles.
Its in the managers interests to do this because you can then provide a training skills gap report and capture the information to provide the correct training solutions
Those managers who did not complete it did not receive training. The benefit to you is that you then get the information provided to you by department and it will make your life far easier.
Hope this helps you.
Sue
p.s. find an excel guru to format the sheet for you so all you have to do is copy and paste the results 😉
Skills audit
Sue
I agree with Sue’s advice, especially around excel. There are a few other things you might want to consider. Firstly, this is a skills audit but the response scale does not reflect this. I’d go for 1 = little or no skill; 2 = basic skill; novice; 3 = reasonably skilled; competent; 4 = highly skilled; expert. You might also want a second scale: 0 = not required in my current role; 1 = required in my current role and I would like to develop this skill to a higher level; 2 = required in my current role to the skill level I possess; no development required.
This is more complex – so does have a down side – but it is likely to provide you with data in a more useful form.
You might also want to think about the briefing you give at the beginning. What is basic presentation skills for a senior manager may feel like a high skill level for a new junior administrator. Without guidance most people will rate themselves according to a) a mythical standard they have in their own heads; b) how they feel they compare to their peers; or, c) how fearful they are of the consequences of rating themselves too low or too high. Think head and heart: people need to understand why you are doing it and what it will be used for. They will want clarity about how to fill it in and what all the terms mean. They will also want reassurance and encouragement. As to them thinking more widely about their skills, I think you are right and a simple example, like you gave above, may be sufficient.
The skill descriptors need some care too. Things like communication skills, IT skills or project management skills are too generalised to be meaningful. They will also lead to unhelpful ratings (eg I have a colleague who is a great listener but is not very articulate – do they rate themselves as a 1 or a 3 for communications? Even if they rate as a 2, that doesn’t tell you much useful about their development needs or where they might be deployed).
Finally, you may want to think about confidentiality, data protection, timescales (give them about 2 weeks, or 3 if you start in the holiday season), how to chase if response rates are low, and how to collate, analyse and interpret the results when you get them back (do this at the design stage, not when you get the forms back).
Best of luck
Graham
Thanks
Hi Sue / Graham – thanks so much for your replies they are really helpful and most appreciated.
Sue