Transferable Competencies Workshop

*PLEASE NOTE* IF YOU HAVE ATTENDED ONE OF THE SESSION IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY OR MARCH, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP AGAIN. EACH SESSION COVERS THE SAME INFORMATION AND IS ONLY REQUIRED ONCE.

Canada West Foundation (CWF) is conducting a joint action research project aimed at assisting unemployed, underemployed, and transitioning professionals in Alberta.
Designed to assist in identifying the transferable competencies of people who have been employed in the oil and gas sector, the research project brings together partners from the GoldMind Project, Global Talent Utility (Jobickle), ReSource YYC, Vametric and Griffiths Sheppard Consulting.

The initial phase of the project involves a series of free 2-hour workshops for individuals seeking a new job or career. At these workshops, participants will learn how to articulate and document skills and competencies that are transferable – that is, they have applicability across a broad range of occupations and industries.

The next step will be to build their competency profiles. Participants will have the opportunity to place special focus on their higher-level skills in problem solving, decision making, critical thinking/analysis, communication, collaboration, creativity, and digital skills – those competencies that are in high demand, but difficult to measure, and critical for success. These profiles will be housed on the Global Talent Utility platform. Our participants’ levels of essential skills will be assessed in the next phase of the project and will include some testing and the creation and assessment of a portfolio of evidence of skill.

Meanwhile, we are working with senior operations and HR management professionals – helping them to identify and articulate the critical competencies for various jobs in their organizations. These job profiles will also be stored on the Global Talent Utility platform.

Individuals will, with their consent, have their individual profiles matched to the available job profiles. Exact matching between employers and participants is not assured. However, using Global Talent Utility, the level of match to a variety of available jobs will be determined. Skills gaps and associated learning pathways may also be identified.

The ultimate goal of the project is to transform the way that potential employees connect with new career opportunities and the way that employers view and assess employee skills and competencies. The information from the project will be used to prove that competencies are transferable across industries, with the intent that this method be adopted as a new standard for career transition. This is an opportunity to be part of the change we wish to make in the employment landscape.