I recently heard the phrase ‘skill mapping’, where skills are aligned to learning and job paths. I have been working on skills applications for the past eight years. Designed a patent pending system to manage and track skills called learning labels; learning is defined in skills and their methods and applications. Did some work in mapping skills to jobs as I worked through Skills Based Approach, where I distinguish between different learning programs (Skills Based Approach: Part One - Options after High School). In preparing for a meeting, I started to think of an empirical way for ‘skill mapping’ within the context of the learning labels technology.
(Like the analogy of atoms and skills as shown in the graphic.) I do not suggest magically coming up with a single set of skill measurements that are constants. So, I suggest the following:
First, build a curriculum, onboarding, or training program to prepare someone for a specific job. Break this into a series of tasks and use the learning labels technology to set the learning expectations (standards if necessary), create assessments, and connect the tasks together. Take the sum of hours and Skill Points® for each skill. This provides a basic ‘skill mapping’, which is useful before a program begins.
Though as tasks are connected in a series, use conditionals so users navigate to their next task based on their performance (Connect Skills Labels Based on Performance). Variance is introduced; there are different paths within a single program.
The next step is to have your learners go through your program. Use the learning labels technology to track their learning. Through time, sum the hours and skill points for each participants journey. Then, average them together to get a more accurate snapshot of the effectiveness of the program and what is required.
Additionally, if assessments are used, aggregate a participant’s performance based on short quizzes built into the labels interface. For each task, there is functionality for a -pre, -during, and -post assessment. Furthermore, collect samples of work for a e-portfolio to validate skills through demonstration.
Conduct this same analysis with different programs for the same job. There are many different types of programs for a web developer, graphic designer, accountant, etc. Compare and contrast the results to get a direct ‘skill mapping’ of skills to jobs (across programs).