Standards of Competence LO10345

Arthur Battram (apb@cityplex.demon.co.uk)
Sat, 5 Oct 1996 12:37:25 +0100

Replying to LO10319 [was using NVQs]

[rick -I 'd like to change the subject line, to reduce potential
confusion: I have no interest in defending the deeply compromised NVQ
implementation of the Standards of Competence concept. It is possible,
thankfully, to get the power of the Standards of Competence [SCA] without
using the NVQs that are based on them. Hence I've changed the subject
line -hope you'll allow me this, thanks apb. If I sound a bit grumpy it's
because I get tired of explaining the difference between SCA and NVQs- I
hope that won't have to happen here..]

replying to Michael McMaster
>Date: Thu, 3 Oct 1996 >Subject: Using NVQs to promote Learning LO10319
>

>For some time, I've alienated the UK culture of NVQ's by insisting
>that the measure which corporations would value is something like
>"demonstration of competence on the job". If that is what you mean,
>I am interested in extending this dialogue.

Firstly, Mike, I don't have any problem with your alienation of the UK
culture of NVQ's, [for the reasons mentioned above, my focus is on
Standards of Competence]. And I agree with you that the measure which
corporations would value is something like "demonstration of competence on
the job".

But what does the phrase 'demonstration of competence on the job' mean to
you?

>I am a athelete (tennis player and other sports) and ex-coach. If
>someone claims to know about tennis I put a racquet (or some similar
>object) in their hands and ask for a demonstration. If someone ways
>they are a coach, I give them a player and say, "Make an observable
>improvement."

so are you saying that if an improvement isn't observable it isn't real?

>Makes short work of qualification - and long benefit in results.

please explain all your above comments, mike; I'm not getting your drift,
your tennis example doesn't speak clearly to me in the context of
organisational learning.

Best wishes

Arthur Battram

--

from Arthur Battram, organiser of the LGMB project 'Tools for Learning': helping local authorities to apply complexity concepts to personal and organisational learning. 'Learning from Complexity' pack available November '96, for details email me: apb@cityplex.demon.co.uk "complexity is in here... and simplicity is out there...if we want it to be..."

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>