Canadian Technology Human Resources Board Bureau canadien des ressources humaines en technologie October 11,1996 Ingrid Bron Women in Trades and Technology 617 - 200 Queens Avenue London, Ontario N6A 1J3 Dear Ms. Bron; Enclosed please find information regarding our National Standards Committee. I hope it proves useful in helping you select a delegate. Our first meeting will take place in Edmonton on November 8-9,1996. I will send a full meeting package as soon as I receive confirmation of your participation. Thank you for considering this project. We hope you find it a rewarding experience, both personally and for WITT. Sincerely, Michael Brennan Executive Director 3-285 rue McLeod St. Ottawa Canada K2P 1 Al Tel: (613) 233-1955 Fax: (613) 238-8822 Canadian Technology Human Resources Board Bureau canadien des ressources humaines en technologie First Meeting of the Revision Committee on National Standards for Applied Science and Engineering Technologists Edmonton Downtown Hilton Edmonton, Alberta November 8-9,1996 DRAFT AGENDA 1. Welcome - Call to order 2. Introduction of Members 3. Equity Isue (/[j Denis Dubois - CTHRB Art Voth - HRDC 10 min. All 30min. Appointment of Chair All 10min. 4. Chair’s Opening Remarks Chair 15min. 5. Approval of Agenda All 10min. 6. Appointment of Secretary/Treasurer All 7. Approval of Working Group Members All 8. Project Overview Bill Allen Michael Brennan 9. Project Budget Michael Brennan 30min. 10. Terms of Reference All 30min. 11. Long Term Revision Process All 1 hr. 12. Accreditation, Certification and Licensing Issues All 1 hr. 13. Format of Final Product All 1 hr. 5 min. 20min. 1 hr. 14. Other Business 16. Date of Next Meeting 3-285 rue McLeod St. Ottawa Canada K2P 1 Al Tel: (613)233-1955 Fax:(613)238-8822 National Technologist Standards Update August, 1996 CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY HUMAN RESOURCES BOARD NATIONAL TECHNOLOGIST STANDARDS UPDATE Background Between 1992 and 1994 HRDC was instrumental in helping an industry led initiative to produce the first set of national competency standards for applied science and engineering technologists. The project produced a series of thirteen volumes which describe the skills and knowledge required to gain entry into the technology work force. The standards were met with enthusiasm and approval from partners across Canada and around the world. Educational institutions began using them as the basis for program refinement, several industries used them to set their hiring and training criteria, and the profession has been using them as the basis for certification of individuals and accreditation of schools. Following the success of this project a similar project was undertaken to develop national technician standards. The result of the project was a series of occupational standards published as a database of competencies on CD-ROM. This new format allowed for easier development and updating as well as the introduction of emerging occupations into the database. Issues Revision The technologist standards are now three years old. Following their wide spread use and review by industry and educational institutions it has become evident that several of the discipline areas are in need of revision, in particular the Civil, Electronics, Mechanical, Petroleum and Bioscience areas. Revision of these areas requires the addition of several discipline specializations, the elimination of certain competencies no longer required in the workplace and the inclusion of emerging competencies demanded by current technology. Also, based on feedback from industry and the profession, areas such as Power Engineering Technology, Industrial Design, Telecommunications and Construction Management need to be included in a revision of the Technologist Standards. The thirteen National Technologist Standard volumes published in 1994, categorized by discipline of work, no longer accurately reflect the division of technology occupations. Canadian industry demands that technologists possess a broad range of competencies which often overlap the traditional disciplines used to develop curriculum. The Technician Standards Database allows for the customization of competencies to quickly respond to the needs of industry. It is important to revise the Technologist Standards to provide the same responsiveness. 1 August, 1996______________________________ _____________ National Technologist Standards Update The current Technologist Standards are an excellent base upon which to build a Technologist Standards Database. This project will enhance the current standards by adding the recommended discipline areas, deleting outdated competencies and restructuring the standards to reflect industry's need for rapid change. Sector Standards A number of Sector Councils are defining the skills required to work within their industry sector. These standards are typically narrow in scope, highly specific to a particular series of tasks within an occupation. This type of 'micro' standard is required by industry to define competence in occupations where licensing may be a requirement, or where repetitive yet precise skills are needed. In contrast, in order to become competent within an advanced profession such as technologist, a broad-based entry level set of skills and competencies defining a field of practice are required prior to working in a narrow occupation. These advanced 'macro' occupational standards are necessary to provide Canadians entering the technology workforce with a solid foundation of competence, which can then be applied in a variety of sector specific situations. For example, a biological technologist may eventually work in the food processing industry, the agricultural industry, the environmental industry or the health care sector. Yet if that technologist's training and education is based solely on the requirements of one sector, then he or she is left without the mobility required of today's workforce. Occupational standards provide for the competency to adapt to new situations requiring the use of innovative thinking combined with a solid background of fundamental technical know-how. Cross Sectoral Implications There are a number of specializations within the technologist standards that touch upon various industry sectors. In effect, there are technologists working in nearly every industry sector in Canada. The competencies required of a technologist in a particular field are not necessarily restricted to one sector. For example, the Construction Management Technologist requires the ability to manage many aspects of complex construction sites such as multi-dwelling residential projects, high-rise commercial developments and large scale municipal projects. They must demonstrate competence in areas such as building systems, electrical systems, industrial design and management. In the same way that an engineering firm may work on an urban commercial project one year and the development of a hydro-electric dam the next, a construction management technologist must have the flexibility to go where the work is. This is true for all technologists, in that they must have the underlying competence to adapt to a variety of situations. 2 National Technologist Standards Update August, 1996 Updates The technologist and technician standards are designed to reflect the emerging needs of industry in a number of rapidly evolving fields. They must, therefore, be highly adaptive. The current format for the technologist standards does not allow for inexpensive and rapid publishing of revised standards. An updating process must be developed which will capture the current needs of industry and be easily circulated to those using the technologist standards on a regular basis. Objective The objective of the project is to improve the existing National Technologist Standards to better respond to the evolving needs of Canadian industry and to facilitate the development of up-to-date technology curriculum in post-secondary institutions. The project seeks to produce a series of technologist occupation standards in the same manner as the technician standards, i.e. as a database of competencies available on CD-ROM. Since the database engine already exists, this would require very little computer development. As well, a large number of the existing competencies can and will be used again in the updated standards. The revised technologist standards will be harmonized with existing standards produced by Sector Councils in order to avoid duplication and ensure full coverage of all competencies required of technologists from career entry to specialization. The completed Technologist Standards will be integrated with the Technician standards on one CD-ROM. An annual update process will be implemented which will eliminate the need for significant revision of the standards. The revisions may be done electronically, with input from all users of the standards. The effectiveness of an electronic publishing and revision process will allow for frequent updates at very little cost. Activities The CTHRB proposes the following parameters for the technologist standards update project: • • • • • project period of twelve months starting September 1, 1996; use of existing technologists standards as primary data; use of database from technician standards for data engine; participation of 100-200 practicing technologists in national update workshops; participation of 800 representatives from industry, education and the profession in final validation process. 3 August, 1996 National Technologist Standards Update The specific project activities are outlined as follows: establishment of working group, each member with expertise in occupational analysis and in specific technology occupational areas; • analysis of existing standards for refinement of language and removal of repeated competencies; • analysis of Sector Council standards in order to ensure harmonization; • establishment of cross Canada workshops for review of first draft of standards; • entry of new technologist competency data in existing database model; • national validation project; • production of CD-ROM; • release of new technologist standards; • establishment of annual National Technology Standards revision process. • The project will proceed much the same way as the Technician Standards project. A team of experts will conduct workshops with industry participants across Canada. The workshops will determine the addition and deletion of competencies, as well as the clustering of competency statements into specializations. The resulting document will then be circulated to all stakeholders for comment and revision. The final draft will then be presented to participants for validation. Throughout the process, Sector Councils will be consulted and provided with opportunities for input. These include, but are not restricted to; the CCHREI, CSTEC, EEMAC, WITT, CARS, CCA-CHBA and CAMC. Since the database model already exists, and much of the data required has been published in the 1994 National Technologist Standards, the activities for this project will require less time and resources then the Technician Standards project. The final activity of the project will be the establishment, in cooperation with the Canadian Technology Human Resources Board, of a system for the annual update of both the Technologist and Technician Standards. Resources for these activities will be split between the private sector and Human Resource Development Canada. The private sector financial contribution will include administration and staff costs as well as time required for each participant; developers, workshop participants and validators. HRDC will participate by covering the costs to execute the project. Expected Outcomes I Results: production of technologist standards CD-ROM, with detailed competencies required in over 50 technology specializations; • review and endorsement of new standards by over 1,000 participants; • symbiosis of National Technician and National Technologist Standards; • increased acceptance by industry and education of National Technologist Standards. • 4 National Technologist Standards Update Augustz 1996 The National Technologist Standards will be published on CD-ROM in such a manner as to allow the user to review the document by discipline, as is the case with the current thirteen volumes, by specialization or simply by competency areas. This flexibility is crucial for the widespread use of the standards. Industry requires a tool which can be customized to meet their needs, yet reflects an average of the competencies required in the Canadian Technology work force. These standards will continue to be used as a means of developing internal training, promoting full use of workforce skills and determining employment criteria. Education requires an accurate and updated series of competencies structured around traditional disciplines in order to build programs, but flexible enough to respond to industry's need for customized training. The profession requires a rigid series of competencies in order to establish certification and accreditation criteria to ensure public safety. This project will produce a National Technologist Standard which responds to all stakeholders' needs. Communications Strategy The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board will undertake a communications program in advance of the completion of the project. This will include newsletter articles, distribution of information via the Canadian and international media (newspapers, radio, etc.) The Minister of Human Resources Development will be asked to circulate a press release supporting the development and use of the Standards. Proponents The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board is a partnership between technology employers, practitioners, educators and organized labour groups. Each of the participants endorses the need for up-to-date and approved national standards. The standards will continue to be used by industry as hiring and training criteria, by the profession for recognition of individual achievement and by education as a means of developing nationally recognized technology programs. Each of these participants can thus be certain that their criteria is in harmony with that of the other stakeholders. Various Sector Councils have acknowledged the participation of technologists within their industry sector. In order to avoid duplication, the CTHRB will not produce standards where they are already established. The CTHRB will maintain its focus on standards at the job entry level. In cases where standards already exist, or are under development, the CTHRB will examine them in order to determine their suitability for use as technologist standards. 5 August, 1996 National Technologist Standards Update Advantages of the Sectoral Approach The Canadian Technology Human Resources Board is recognized across Canada for its expertise in developing standards. The partnership upon which the CTHRB is based allows for the widest possible participation in the development of the national standards. The Sectoral approach ensures that all stakeholders are involved in the process, and that responsibility for the final product remains in the hands of those who helped develop it. Care will also taken to ensure that provincial requirements are addressed through the participation of the Council of Ministers of Education. Employment Equity This project will take into account the low participation rates of women and aboriginals in the technology work force. Women and aboriginals will be actively recruited to participate in the development and review of the standards. The organization Women in Trades and Technology (WITT) will be asked to participate in the validation process and to provide their views on the Canadian technology work force. Consultants hired to work on the project must be sensitive to employment equity issues and must be able to ensure that the standards contain no artificial barriers to opportunities for women and minorities in the technology work force. Environment, Ethics and Society represents a series of competencies in the Technologist Standards. These competencies include statements regarding the need for appropriate recognition of the diversity of the Canadian work force. These statements will be assessed as to their accuracy and appropriateness. Funding Request and Private Sector Contribution HRDC is requested to contribute $283,500 for the completion of this project. This represents 48% of the project's total cost of $595,150. (Please see attached budget.) Recommendation It is recommended that this project be approved for a contribution of $283,500 over a period of thirteen months beginning September 1, 1996. 6 Canadian Technology Human Resources Board________ National Technologist Standards Update Project 1996-1997 Budget Acutu al Expenses___________________________________ Item HRDC Industry Cash Industry in kind Chairperson - fees_________________________________ Chairperson - honorarium___________________________ Chairperson - expenses 0.00 0.00 2500.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10400.00 0.00 0.00 IAS Council - fees (12 persons x 2 day @$50/hr.) IAS travel expenses (6 persons @$500)_______________ IAS - ex officio expenses____________________________ Facilities expenses_________________________________ 0.00 12000.00 0.00 20000.00 0.00 0.00 12000.00 0.00 48000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Management of Advisory Committee__________________ Executive Director_________________________________ Senior Association Staff 26000.00 0.00 0.00 13000.00 0.00 0.00 Administration of Technologist Project________________ Office support staff Office overhead (support staff @15%) Travel - Project meetings Project work (meetings, assignments, etc.) Project work - Association (communications, support) 13000.00 0.00 6500.00 10400.00 0.00 13000.00 ___________ 0.00 0.00 1950.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10400.00 Equipment______________________________ _________ _ Computer/Printer, etc_______________________________ Software________________________________________ _ Office Expenses/lncidentals/etc. - Council Office Expenses/lncidentals/etc. - Association 4000.00 1000.00 3900.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3900.00 ___________ 0.00 Project Work Mise. Project Costs (travel, mailings, etc.)_____________ Client group consultations, etc._______________________ Office Expenses/lncidentals - Council_________________ Office Expenses/lncidentals - Association_____________ 2600.00 20000.00 4600.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Working Group (5 members)_________________________ 100000.00 Individual Member Contracts (5 @ $20,000) _______ 13000.00 Office expenses/incidentals 0.00 ___________ 0.00 0.00 0.00 Industry Participation_______________________________ ___________ 0.00 Workshops (150 @ $50/hr) 0.00 Validation (800 @ $50/hr.)___________________________ 0.00 Association National/Regional staff___________________ 60000.00’ 0.00 120000.00 0.00 0.00 _______ 13000.00 Other Identifiable items_____________________________ 25000.00 Translation_______________________________________ _ _______ 19000.00 Printing/Publishing (CD-ROM medium) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 60250.00 251400.00 Interest Credit________________________________ ____ GST Credit________________________________________ Total Contribution_______________________________ __ 283500.00 TOTAL PROJECT COSTS__________________________ 595150.00 Interest earned GST rebate Canadian Technology Human Resources Board National Technologist Standards Update Project 1996-1997 Budget Acutu al Expenses Chairperson - fees (2 days/month @$50/hr) Chairperson - honorarium Chairperson - expenses IAS Council - fees (12 persons x 2 day @ $50/hr) IAS travel expenses (6 persons @ $500) IAS - ex officio expenses Facilities expenses Management of Advisory Committee Executive Director Senior Association Staff Administration of Technologist Project Office support staff (HRDC contribution) Office support staff (Industry contribution) Office overhead (support staff @15%) Travel - Project meetings Project work (meetings, assignments, etc.) Project work - Association (communications, support) Sep-97 800 0 0 800 0 0 800 0 500 10400 0 2500 9600 2500 2400 4000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9600 2500 2400 4000 48000 12000 12000 20000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 26000 13000 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 13000 13000 1950 6500 10400 10400 Oct-96 Nov-96 Dec-96 Jan-97 Feb-97 Mar-97 Apr-97 May-97 Jun-97 800 0 500 800 0 0 800 0 0 800 0 500 800 0 0 800 0 0 800 0 500 800 0 0 800 0 0 800 0 500 9600 2500 2400 4000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9600 2000 2400 4000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9600 2500 2400 4000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 2000 1000 * 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 1000 1000 150 500 800 800 * * * * * * TOTAL Aug-97 Sep-96 Item Jul-97 Equipment Computer/Printer, etc Software Office Expenses/lncidentals/etc. - Project Office Expenses/lncidentals/etc. - Association * * * 4000 1000 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 0 0 300 300 4000 1000 3900 3900 Project Work Mise. Project Costs (travel, mailings, etc.) Client group consultations, etc. Office Expenses/lncidentals - Council Office Expenses/lncidentals - Association * * * 200 0 350 500 200 0 400 500 200 0 350 500 200 0 350 500 200 5000 350 500 200 5000 350 500 200 5000 350 500 200 5000 350 500 200 0 350 500 200 0 350 500 200 0 350 500 200 0 350 500 200 0 350 0 2600 20000 4600 6000 * * 40000 1000 0 1000 0 1000 0 1000 0 1000 20000 1000 0 1000 0 1000 0 1000 0 1000 0 1000 0 1000 40000 1000 100000 13000 0 0 1000 0 0 1000 0 0 1000 0 0 1000 15000 0 1000 15000 0 1000 15000 0 1000 15000 0 1000 0 40000 1000 0 40000 1000 0 40000 1000 0 0 1000 0 0 1000 60000 120000 13000 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4000 5000 0 5000 0 5000 0 5000 0 5000 15000 25000 19000 * 17550 58150 5550 6200 5550 6150 17550 12650 20550 11150 20550 31150 32550 18150 20550 15150 45550 11150 57550 18150 45550 11150 5550 11150 17050 73150 311650 283500 75700 11750 11700 30200 31700 51700 50700 35700 56700 75700 56700 16700 90200 595150 Working Group (5 members) Individual Member Contracts (5 @ $20,000) Office expenses/incidentals Industry Participation Workshops (150 @ $50/hr) Validation (800 @ $50/hr.) Association National/Regional staff Other Identifiable items Translation Printing/Publishing (CD-ROM medium) Interest Credit GST Credit Industry HRDC TOTAL PROJECT COSTS Interest earned GST rebate *HRDC Contribution National Technologist Standards Update Project Overview The CTHRB asked the proposed Working Group Members to meet with several of the Board Members the weekend of September 21, 1996 to assist with the development of a proposed project plan for presentation to the full Advisory Committee. OBJECTIVES The CTHRB and Human Resources Development Canada agreed on the following project objectives: • Convert the technologist standards into the same format as the technician standards. • Expand the technologist standards to include new skills and competencies. Areas specifically suggested in the original project proposal for investigation included Power Engineering Technology, Industrial Design, Telecommunications, and Construction Management. • Validate revisions to the technologist standards. • Produce a CD-ROM for standard distribution. • Develop an economically feasible valid update process for the standards. The original project plan was reviewed to determine possible alternatives for achievement. In addition, the proposed budget and project time line were reviewed. PROJECT PLAN Following considerable discussion the following general plan was recommended for Advisory Committee consideration: 1. Based on input to date and received by early December the existing standards will be revised. (The CTHRB and the Advisory Committee will arrange for an announcement of the start of the project and request submissions for revisions.) A team of experts in occupational analysis and in specific technology occupational areas will comprise the Working Group. They will evaluate the 1 submissions for revision and prepare revised draft standards based on their expert evaluation. 2. Two practitioner workshops will be held for each discipline area at separate locations in Canada. The degree of inclusiveness for the workshops will be based on budgetary constraints. Members of the Advisory Committee will be tasked with locating suitable workshop participants. 3. The Working Group will review workshop input and revise the draft standards to reflect the workshop input. The Advisory Committee will undertake a revision of the draft standards prior to the evaluation exercise. 4. The revised standards will be mailed out to the previous workshop participants and a further sampling of practitioners for evaluation. Again, the Advisory Committee will be asked to provide participants for the evaluation exercise. 5. The Working Group will review responses received for the evaluation mailing and revise the standards as appropriate. 6. The Advisory Committee will have final authority to release the revised standards. 7. It is recommended that the revised standards be released as a "WORKING DRAFT" for the beginning of a continuous review/revision process. Continuous Revision 8. During the following year the CTHRB collect suggestions for revisions to the National Standards. 9. A panel of experts review the input on a yearly basis and make the appropriate revisions to the standards. 10. Upon completion of revisions the standards would again be released as a "WORKING MODEL" with new revisions highlighted or marked in some fashion such that they would be easy to identify. 11. Steps 7, 8, and 9 would be repeated on a yearly basis. RECOMMENDATIONS While the Working Group has the resources and expertise to conduct the conversion and revisions to the standards, they do not have the resources to complete the planning and make arrangements for any of the agreements that will likely be required for the "Continuous Revision" process. It is therefore 2 recommended that he Advisory Committee form a small subcommittee to review and establish this Continuous Revision process. Discussions around several basic operational areas resulted in the following recommendations: 1. That members of the Advisory Committee be paired with members of the Working Group to assist in the collection of new skills and competencies in their representative groups and to assist in the identification of potential individuals to participate in workshops or in the evaluation/validation process. 2. That the release of the technician standards CD-ROM be followed quickly by a questionnaire to determine customer response to the CD-ROM format so that any required changes can be built into this project. Also, that the possibility of a special hard copy publication be investigated as a value added product for those wishing only a part of the standard or those without CD-ROM access. 3. That members of the Advisory Committee review the technician standards CDROM for comments on its presentation and format. 4. That technologist standards be added directly to the technician standards database such that common skills and competencies between technicians and technologists are easily identified and need not be repeated in two separate databases. 5. That the Advisory Committee pursue recommendations to the CTHRB regarding further areas for development that appear during this standards revision process. 6. That the attached revisions to the original proposed budget be accepted. 7. That the following individuals be appointed to the Working Group: Bill Allen Don Byers Ron Farrell Ron Isaac Mike Westmorland 8. That Denis Dubois be approved to provide translation services to the project. 3 COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR APPLIED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGISTS Advisory Committee Members Norm Socha Denis Dubois Stewart Baxter Patricia Miller Guy Newman Rob Barber Geoff Sale Maj. Dennis Pelletier Lee Bradshaw Ingrid Bron Garland Laliberté Donna Baxter John Devries Paul Gravelle Chair Quebec Construction Association CCTT CCHREI Manitoba Hydro NCDOT Nortel National Defence ACCC WITT CCPE Canadian Labour Congress Conference Board of Canada Canadian Construction Association Canadian Home Builders Association Ex officio Art Voth Ian McRae Working Group Don Byers Mike Westmorland Bill Allen Ron Isaak Ron Farrell Council of Ministers of Education HRDC HRDC Industry Canada National Institute for Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (U.S.A.) Canadian TechnologyHuman Resources Board Bureau canadien des ressources humaines en technologie MEMO TO: Revision CommitteeMembers FROM: Bill Allen DATE: January 15, 1997 SUBJECT: Technologist Standards Workshops 1. As indicated during the November 8 Committee Meeting the Working Group will be holding several cross Canada workshops from mid-February to mid-March. I have attached a preliminary workshop schedule and an introductory document that will be provided to all participants before they attend. 2. If you know of any individuals working as technologists or directly supervising technologists that may be interested in participating in workshops, or in the mail-in evaluation to follow, please forward their names and addresses to me as soon as possible. 3. As you know from the meeting, financial resources for the workshops are limited so travel costs will be minimized. 4. Individuals living at a distance from workshop locations will have the opportunity for input through the mail-in evaluation. 5. The Working Group appreciates your assistance in finding workshop and evaluation participants. This will help us develop a quality standard that will meet the needs of industry, education and the profession. INFORMATION GUIDE FOR OCCUPATIONAL TASK ANALYSIS WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS The object of the occupational analysis workshop is to bring together a group of skilled resource people from an occupational area to identify the skills required for that occupation. These resource people generally include skilled workers in the occupation, or worker-supervisors in the occupational area. Similar workshops are being held across the country under the direction of the Revision Committee on National Standards for Applied Science and Engineering Technologists. Once these cross Canada workshops have been completed, the skills identified during the workshops will be used to develop an occupational standard which will be used for such purposes as: accreditation of College programs; simplifying labour market mobility; certification of Technologists; and, increased recognition of Engineering and Applied Science Technologists in the workplace. FUNDAMENTALS: Occupational Task Analysis may be defined as: The process in which tasks performed by workers employed in a particular job or occupation are identified and verified. The worker’s job/occupation consists of duties and tasks that he or she actually performs. Most important, for this occupational analysis workshop, the group will also determine the enabling-skills required of workers in the occupational area under analysis. To complete the task analysis a committee of resource persons from an occupational area is used. These resource people are either skilled workers in the occupation or worker-supervisors in the occupational area. During a workshop, this committee will identify the major duties and tasks performed in each job within an occupational area of study, with the assistance of a facilitator. The committee should include: practising technologists who are presently working in the occupation or individuals who are directly supervising technologists in the occupation being analyzed. Personnel directors, executives, managers, and such are generally not considered suitable participants as they may not be entirely aware of the actual work done by the practitioner; individuals whose colleagues consider them competent and to have an open mind; individuals who are free from bias (training methods, costs, status, qualifications); individuals who have confidence; and, individuals who have the freedom to devote full-time for the required period - not part-time or drop-in members. DEFINITIONS: Duties are large segments of work done by an individual worker, which serve typically as broad categories within which tasks may be placed. Examples of duties could be organizing and planning, or maintaining equipment. Tasks on the other hand, are work activities that perform a particular or specific aspect of a duty. Each duty requires the execution of many tasks in a particular sequence. Examples of tasks performed by workers would be filing materials, or adjusting a control. Usually, for each task, sub-tasks are identified and sets of enabling-skills are described. Sub-tasks are the smallest elements into which a task may be subdivided, but this level of detail may or may not be required for this occupational analysis workshop. On the other hand, enabling-skills are the elements of skill and knowledge that an individual must acquire to enable him/her to perform the task/subtask adequately to a specified standard. This detail will definitely be required for this workshop. Enabling-Skills may be classified as either entry-level or experienceacquired. Entry-level skills are a combination of generic skills (ie. communications skills, math skills, management skills) and/or specific technical skills that may be acquired through a training program undertaken by an individual to prepare him/her for employment in an occupational area. These skills may also be acquired from on-the-job experience in similar jobs, or from self-development. Experience-acquired skills are gained through the performance of certain job-specific tasks. These may also be acquired through the specialized training, provided by an employer, to prepare an employee to perform these tasks. Differentiating between these two classifications is important. The former establishes the minimum skills necessary to enter a job at the entrance level and then progress in the job, through on-the-job training and supervision. Whereas, the latter specifies skills that are normally acquired from experience gained on the job, or from similar jobs. Trend Analysis is similar to Task Analysis but not as involved. It requires the committee as a group to use their experience and knowledge of the industry in which they are employed, to foresee the technological or administrative changes that may affect a job in the near future. Then, as before, the group will identify the new duties that may be performed on the job, or changes that may have to be made to existing job duties should these changes develop. Then, as in the Task Analysis procedure, any future skills are identified for the job under study. This is extremely important, because Task Analysis predicts what will be done in the future. Therefore, after completion of the occupational analysis, some time will be set aside to discuss trends which may affect the occupational areas. OCCUPATIONAL WORKSHOP PROCESS: The facilitator will provide time to orient the committee with the steps necessary to complete the Task Analysis workshop. Generally these steps will include the following: 1. Introduce Committee members. 2. Review the job or occupational area under study. 3. Review, discuss, and validate a set of generic skills for the job or occupational area under study. 4. Identify and review the duties performed in the job or occupational area, and note the responsibility of the worker while performing each duty. 5. Identify and review the tasks (and if necessary, sub-tasks) necessary to complete each duty. 6. Identify and review the enabling skills necessary to perform each task to a specified standard. 7. Classify the enabling skills as either entry-level or experience acquired. 8. Complete a skill profile chart for the job or occupational area. To assist the occupational analysis workshops, a set of draft generic enabling-skills has been prepared for skill areas generally required of Engineering/Applied Science Technologists working in the occupational cluster. These will be presented during the workshop for the committee to review, and validate or modify. The facilitator will also have a list of competency-areas, with associated competencies, for the cluster. These have been taken from the previous Technologist Standards. These competencies may be used as a resource by committee members, however, bear in mind that the primary purpose of the workshop is to capture the actual duties and tasks performed by workers in these occupations, and then to identify the enabling-skills required to perform these tasks. Therefore, these competencies should be viewed only as a resource to assist the committee, not as a definitive statement of what is or what should be. Tentative Workshop Schedule - 01/13/97 The following list provides likely locations for Technologist Standards Revision Workshops. Dates for these workshops have not been confirmed, but will be held between mid-February and mid-March. Dates will be fixed when the members of the Working Group have a better idea of who will be participating. The Constituent Members are asked to begin locating four or five practicing technologists or their immediate supervisors to participate in the workshops. B.C. Civil, Forestry, Building, Geomatics, Mineral Alberta Petroleum, Chemical, Electronics, Electrical, Instrumentation Saskatchewan Civil, Electronics Manitoba Electrical Ontario Mechanical, Industrial, Mineral,Instrumentation Quebec Building, Forestry, Industrial, Mechanical New Brunswick Geomatics Nova Scotia Bioscience PEI Newfoudland Bioscience,Chemical, Petroleum