Employers
Hiring on what the person can actually do
A competency framework turns a job ad into a verifiable criterion and an interview into a practical exercise. The catalogue's 72 titles each name a role and break it into blocks: that grid is what lets you write an ad the right profiles recognise.
From desired profile to verifiable criterion
An ad written in years of experience filters on seniority; an ad written in acts filters on capability. The second opens hiring to profiles that would not have applied, and it makes the interview comparable from one candidate to the next.
Written as a profile
- Five years in a similar role
- Good command of the trade's tools
- Rigour and a sense of organisation
- Able to work in a team
Written as acts
- Write a work permit and check it for compliance
- Build a tracking sheet and update it weekly
- Keep a register that stands up to an external inspection
- Run a team check-in and record the decisions taken
Named roles, broken into blocks
Every catalogue title names a role and splits it into competency blocks — 360 blocks across the whole register. A recruiter finds a role definition already written, with its supervised hours, which makes the ad precise with no extra drafting work.
| Professional title | Target role | Level | Supervised hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| SME Administrative Officer | administrative officer, all-round assistant | Skilled employee and operative | 600 h |
| IT Support and Systems Technician | IT technician | Skilled employee and operative | 600 h |
| Banking and Microfinance Client Adviser | client adviser | Skilled employee and operative | 400 h |
| Works Team Leader | team leader, assistant site foreman | Skilled employee and operative | 600 h |
What a certificate lets you verify
A certificate presented by a candidate is verified online, with no call to us and no account. The verification page confirms the elements shown on the document, giving the recruiter checked information rather than a claim.
- The holder's identity, as it appears on the document
- The exact title of the pathway completed and its version
- The issue date and the document reference
- The competency blocks validated, listed one by one
- The supervised hours of the pathway concerned
Hire, then close the remaining gap
Skills-based hiring often concludes on an identified, accepted gap: the person holds four blocks out of five. That gap becomes a line in the training plan, with its hours and its window, which lets you hire a promising profile rather than wait for the complete one.
- 01
Name the gap at hiring
The missing block is written into the offer letter, with the period planned to cover it. The new joiner knows what to expect.
- 02
Open the module on arrival
The pathway starts during the probation period, on that block only. A few weeks are usually enough.
- 03
Validate with the manager
The block assessment runs on a real case from the role, with the direct manager. The record joins the person's file.
Questions from recruiters
How do we write an ad on blocks?
By starting from the professional title matching the role and using its blocks as criteria. Each block is already written in observable competencies and carries its supervised hours. An ad written this way attracts candidates able to describe what they have done, which makes the interview far quicker.
Can we assess a candidate through a practical exercise?
It is the best use of the framework. A twenty-minute exercise built on one block of the target title yields information three interviews will not. It is prepared once and reused with every candidate for the same role, which makes it comparable and defensible.
What if no candidate holds every block?
It is the most frequent situation, and that is where the framework becomes a decision tool. It tells you exactly which block is missing, how many supervised hours it represents and in how many weeks it is covered. You then hire on a quantified gap, with a calendar, rather than on an impression.
Explore next
- Validating experienceRunning a validation-of-experience campaign for your staff: block-by-block review, evidence file, remaining blocks and a calendar compatible with the job.
- Internal mobilityOrganising internal mobility and redeployment: bridges between roles, common blocks already held, a pathway targeted on the gap and a calendar compatible with the current job.
- Internal tutoringStructuring internal tutoring: training the tutors, writing a transmission outline, producing sequences from practice and recording what was passed on.
- Apprentices and internsHosting apprentices and interns: a real assignment, a named tutor, a rhythm compatible with study, shared tracking and a prepared hiring outlook.
- AgreementStructure of a training partnership agreement: roles, perimeter, turnaround commitments, content ownership, data protection and exit terms.
- Employer fundingFunding corporate training: public prices, milestone-based staging, choosing between short formats and long programmes, co-funding and multi-year budgeting.