If we look at the way in which part of the assessment was conducted for an employee such as Allen it should provide a good ‘snapshot’ of how the process of assessing current competence and providing on the job training occurs using an EBT.

Allen works as a leading hand and has experience in a number of areas. Although order picking is no longer one of his current job tasks it is a generic skill for this warehouse. Our interview indicated that he should easily attain the seven units required to receive a Certificate II.

Allen was happy to participate in the program as he could see the long term advantages of achieving recognition for the skills he had attainedon the job. He had previously not undertaken any formal training nor were his skills recognised. We explained to him , as with all other participating employees, that we were essentially assessing his current competence against the standards of competence (units) for Certificate 11 as they related to his work functions. If we discovered any gaps in his knowledge or ability, training would be provided to assist him to gain the skills or knowledge to meet the criteria.

Early on in the assessment Allen was asked how he would work out the average pick rate for an order picker over the 3 to 4 week period. He was unsure of how to do this.

Fortunately, because of the way we are running the program I was able to work with him briefly after the initial assessment to ensure he could consistently do this calculation and so perform routinely at the level required. I have a number or worksheets on hand that cover calculations of this type. I was able to run through the calculation with another example with Allen. Allen was able understand the ‘math’ of the calculation after doing a couple of worksheets and discussing the problem with the trainer. He was then able to perform the calculation related to his job very quickly. The ‘math’ was contextualised into a workplace activity with which he was very familiar.

On the other hand, when asked what he would do if the wrong stock was in a pick slot Allen showed that he could perform at a level above the standard. By using an RF unit (a hand held radio frequency device which logs in to the main computer system) he was able to discover where the product was and altered the system to correct this discrepancy. In this case Allen demonstrated that he was performing above the expected NRS indicators and could be recorded as perhaps a Level 3.7 in Technical Communication.