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Measuring Engineer Competence

Technology companies are under threat today. The workforce in this field is getting older and many of those who postponed retirement during tough economic times are ready to retire. This could be problematic for many companies who do not realize the contributions and skills these professionals bring to their company. At the risk of losing their engineering know-how, some may need to take some time to map competency in this field.

What Is Competency Mapping?

In this industry, competency mapping focuses on the soft skills and behaviors that make the best employees in the field. How is it possible to assess something this complex in this type of profession?

Since engineers tend to be problem solvers by nature, there are only two areas to measure. That is the problem and how to solve it. Some companies use a grid approach to determining the competency of staff. This helps establish any gaps in skills and areas for potential training opportunities. However, the key is to know how to set up these grids so you can determine competencies and the training needs of your engineers.

Two Maps

The first map will be  to determine competency and will be  an Outcome/Experience map. This will take into account all of the actions that you require your engineers to do and will help you to determine if they are capable of doing them. In essence, it will be a grid that shows the knowledge your engineers have in regards to each piece of equipment they will be dealing with. The y-axis would be the equipment and the x-axis would be used to rate their knowledge and competency with each piece of equipment.

The second map will be  to determine knowledge and capability. Here, you will use the grid to chart out the cognitive abilities of engineers and determine where the training needs are for individuals. The y-axis would be used to show the degree of utility of the task they need to perform. The x-axis would be divided up into the cognitive levels of ability to be able to perform the task.

Using these two maps combined you will be able to see the things you need to look it in regards to replacing your retiring engineers. These grids will help you to use the existing resources you have to work with your newer employees so they will be able to perform the engineering tasks that you need them to.

Venteon makes it easier to determine the skills and competency of staff thanks to their wide range of workforce management resources and staffing services. You’ll be able to design a strategic succession plan that will keep your company staffed with skilled workers who have the right backgrounds and competencies you need to rise above the competition.

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