Tools und Verfahren zur Kompetenzerfassung in der Bundesagentur für Arbeit - eine explorativ-empirische Übersicht

Abstract

"Standardized Competency Assessment Procedures are intended to capture and document professional competencies with the goal of facilitating integration into the labor market. In particular, individuals with informally acquired expertise, such as long-term unemployed persons, low-skilled workers and migrants, who lack corresponding certificates, can benefit from testing and subsequent certification to ease their entry into the labor market, career change, or identification of further training needs. The research project "Competency Assessment Procedures in Employment Services," funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS), investigates the significance of competency tests in supporting job search and placement processes. Of particular interest is how procedures for validating professional knowledge are used in employment services, the experiences made, and the opportunities and challenges perceived. The core of the research focused on the standardized, computer-based MySkills test, which was implemented in employment agencies and job centers across Germany from 2017 to 2022. This test, available in 12 languages, aimed to assess whether job seekers possess the competencies outlined in the training regulations of 30 selected professions. In practice, the test was used cautiously. Employment counselors relied on established alternatives for assessing and recording the competencies of job seekers. This research report outlines which practically relevant competency assessment procedures are used in employment services of the Federal Employment Agency, what goals they pursue, the methods underlying them, how they are organizationally embedded, and the corresponding case numbers. In addition, the practical use of these procedures is analyzed, and conclusions are drawn regarding the importance of such testing procedures within the Federal Employment Agency. The data basis includes document analyses as well as 53 qualitative, guideline-based interviews with experts involved in the development, implementation, and application of the test procedures. Employment counselors have different tools and methods at their disposal to capture the knowledge and skills of job seekers, depending on their individual life circumstances. In the career orientation phase, these tools include "Abenteuer Berufe", "Gesucht-gefunden: ICH!," "Check-U," "Studiencheck", "Berufswahltest", and study-related counseling tests. In adult education or professional reorientation, only two relevant procedures are used: "New Plan" and occupational suitability diagnostics at the Occupational Psychology Service (BPS). For validating informally acquired professional knowledge, tools such as MySkills, Valikom, Check.work, as well as measures with an employer (MAG) and measures with a training provider (MAT) can be applied. These procedures differ not only in terms of target groups and objectives but also in their methods. In career orientation and professional (re)orientation, so-called potential analyses are carried out. The goal here is personal self-assessment, the uncovering of competencies that have remained unconscious, and reflecting on one’s strengths and weaknesses. In contrast to potential analyses, the test procedures used in validating professional knowledge are demand analyses. These are designed to check whether the primarily informally acquired skills and competencies meet the requirements of a profession, with the outcome being a certification. When considering the practical use of the instruments, it becomes clear that the procedures presented here for competency assessment are predominantly used in the fields of career orientation and professional reorientation. Demand-oriented tests, which compare existing professional knowledge with the specific demands of a job, show low usage rates in practice and often face difficulties. These include the fact that the defined client base often does not fall within the jurisdiction of the responsible placement and counseling professionals. Even if such clients are identified, they do not always meet the requirements for participation (minimum age, relevant work experience, or language skills). Additionally, motivation to participate is often low. Reasons for this include test anxiety, long test duration, and the priority of quickly reentering employment over taking a test. Another issue is the interpretation and usability of the results. Employment counselors prefer established test instruments like employer-based and training-provider-based measures, as these provide more reliable and credible assessments due to practical testing of competencies and evaluation by professional experts. However, these measures are used primarily to check whether the individual meets the prerequisites for further training measures, not as tools for validating informal professional knowledge per se. The validation of informally acquired competencies is still not a relevant practice in employment services. In light of the legal anchoring of the Vocational Education and Training Validation and Digitization Act (BVaDiG) in the Vocational Training Act, the Federal Employment Agency should address the current barriers to using such test procedures and develop appropriate strategies to enable validation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Kawalec, S. & Promberger, M. (2024): Tools und Verfahren zur Kompetenzerfassung in der Bundesagentur für Arbeit - eine explorativ-empirische Übersicht. (IAB-Forschungsbericht 26/2024), Nürnberg, 35 p. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FB.2426