Module Summary - The Competency Based Education and Training System
The competency based education and training (CBET) philosophy drives the method used to develop a curriculum within the TVET environment. According to Anderson and Woodhill (1999) competency based education addresses specific competencies, aligned to the expectations and requirements of the workplace and links knowledge to a skill that is a job requirement.
At the heart of the CBET philosophy is the development of competencies that are aligned to workplace requirements. The concept of competence is not only confined to technical skills but extended to key employability skills such as collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.
Some of the key features of competency based education and training are:
- Industry engagement
- Labour market research and intelligence
- Occupational standards
- Modularized approach to learning
- Theoretical and practical instruction
- Demonstrations
- Practical Assessments
The competency based philosophy is applied to the National Qualifications of Jamaica by clearly delineating what each level of the framework means and the competencies that learners are expected to acquire upon completing each qualification.
2. Components of Competency Based Standards
The components of competency based standards are:
- Competency Standards
- Unit of competencies - Module titles
- Unit descriptor - course title
- Element of competency - summary of learning outcomes
- Performance Criteria - Assessment Criteria
- Range of Variables - Condition
- Evidence Guide - Assessment method
An analysis of the competency reflects the number of modules developed in a particular unit of competency and should include unit of competencies and the total number of modules per unit.