What are labour competency standards (LCS)?

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C. Standardisation of competencies and quality standards

20. What are labour competency standards (LCS)?

They are the standardised description of labour competencies that have been previously identified. It is important to consider LCS with their regular meaning of standards of comparison, rather than as a compulsory legal instrument to comply with. LCS are formed by the knowledge, abilities, skills, comprehension and attitudes –identified in the stage of functional analysis– required for a competent performance of a certain productive function. In this sense, they are an instrument that allows to identify the labour competency required by a certain productive function.

It becomes a LCS when it is accepted as such, that is, when it is taken as a reference or standard of a certain occupation. As it is a standard, it allows to compare a certain performance observed against a point of reference so as to establish if the performance corresponds to that point of reference or not. From this, it can be gathered that LCS are the basis for the assessment of competencies. Moreover, they are the basis for the design of training programmes since they are basically the standard to describe the competencies required for performance.

According to CONOCER, a technical standard of labour competency usually includes:(1)

What an individual should be capable of doing.
The way in which his performance should be judged.
The conditions under which the individual should demonstrate his competency.
The types of evidence that are necessary and sufficient to ensure that the performance has been consistent, and based on effective knowledge.

In addition, in terms of competency, LCS may describe:

The ability to obtain quality results with the efficient and safe performance of an activity.
The ability to solve problems that may appear while exercising the productive function.
The ability to transfer knowledge, abilities and skills already possessed to other labour contexts.

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1 CONOCER, Power Point presentation by Agustín Ibarra Almada at the Andean Seminar on Competency-Based Training, Bogotá, 1998.

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