Assessment in the Workplace
Reviewed and Updated: May 2008
Conducting assessment in the workplace can be both rewarding and challenging for assessors. Many assessors engage enthusiastically with this assessment strategy because of the opportunity it provides for authentic, relevant and meaningful assessment for the candidate. Candidates are usually observed or questioned while performing or demonstrating ‘real’ work tasks and evidence about a candidate’s skills and performance is collected over a period of time sometimes involving input from third party sources, such as a supervisor. Recognition of current competence and identifying any skills gap goes hand in hand with the assessment process.
Key considerations for workplace assessment
Successful workplace assessment practice depends on a number of factors
including:
- The assessor is qualified to assess the candidate’s competence in this industry or can work in partnership with technical expertise. For information about the latest Training and Assessment Training Package (TAA04) visit the Innovation and Business Skills Australia for an FAQ document.
- Do the candidate, the employer and other workplace staff know about competency based assessment, the relevant industry standards and enterprise roles in the assessment process?
- How are enterprise standards considered in workplace assessment design? What information is available about the workplace and the candidate’s job?
- Identification of enterprise staff who will support the assessor and ‘champion’ the assessment process throughout the organisation. Who’s going to be your chief ally or support when you assess in a workplace?
- Open communication channels in place and roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.
The good news is that there are now many nationally developed resources which support enterprise based training and assessment and address the issues raised above. Some of these will be available on the TAFE NSW Curriculum Centre websites, the TAFE NSW Institute Staff Intranet, and on the public VET web sites.
Use the links below to access resources designed to allow you to customise and to adapt templates and documents to meet your RTO and enterprise needs. As well there are guides, tips, 'how to' recipes and case study stories.
Websites
Learning and Assessment Strategies – the how to kit - Part 1
These invaluable resources were developed by ANTA and VETASSESS
to support Registered Training Organisations meet Standard 9 of the Standards
for Registered Training Organisations in the AQTF. They have a strong
focus on how to engage enterprises and industry in developing learning
and assessment strategies. Available to download in PDF, Text or purchased
in print form with CD from Australian Training Products.
Details about how to obtain the Learning and Assessment Strategies Folder (a matrix of AQTF requirements to guide practitioners in developing and validating learning and assessment strategies)
ANTA Guide 7 Assessment using partnership arrangements
The ANTA Guide 7 Assessment using partnership arrangements, provides details of the types of arrangements non-registered organisations may enter into with Registered Training Organisations for record-keeping purposes, quality assurance and as a means of conducting assessments.
The guide has been developed for RTOs, enterprises and VET in Schools participants. It can provide potential partners with:
- Guidance on developing partnership arrangements
- An outline of the mechanisms that may be used to quality assure arrangements
- A range of templates and guides to assist the implementation and maintenance arrangements
ANTA Guide 6 Assessment approaches for small workplaces
Available as a PDF download or purchased from Australian Training Products this resource provides a guide for both RTO assessors and managers of small workplaces.
Negotiating Workplace Training
An oldie but a goldie!! A worthwhile site providing useful tips, good ideas and tools for involvement with workplace training and assessment. In particular resources support how to incorporate enterprise standards in the design of the learning and assessment in any workplace.
National Reporting System Online (NRS)
If you’re working in any of the nationally funded LL&N programs; for example the Workplace English Language and Literacy Program (WELL), you’ll find this site particularly useful. The National Reporting System (NRS) is a nationally recognised mechanism for reporting outcomes of adult English language, literacy and numeracy programmes. There are ‘how we did it’ case studies written by practitioners in industries as broad ranging as transport and mushroom farming!
Publications
TIMMA, Hilary. 2007. Learning, training and assessing on-the-job: what do workers think? In 10th Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference: “Evolution, revolution or status quo?: the new context for VET”, Footscray Park, Vic.
This paper draws on data from a qualitative study conducted with food production workers at three food-processing companies in North East Victoria. The workers were very clear about the ways in which training and assessment did and did not assist them in their work and in their learning on the job. This paper explores some of these responses and considers how these insights might contribute to the ways in which assessment, in particular, is approached and practised in workplaces, to encourage a level of responsibility and self-direction for the worker-as-learner.
ARMSTRONG, Susanne . 2006. Factors impacting upon the performance of workplace assessors: a case study. in: National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference: 15th, Mooloolaba, Australia.
This qualitative action research project aimed to discover the scope of the internal workplace assessor role beyond the primary focus of technical skills assessment. The information from this research project can be used as a focal point for the oil and gas industry to consider in their planning of future directions for the training and development of a competent and sustainable workforce.
BOUD, D (Ed) 1998, Current Issues and New Agendas in Workplace Learning, NCVER, Adelaide.
This is an excellent reference which covers a range of theoretical and
practical issues about workplace learning. In particular, it focuses on
the current conceptions of workplace learning from a range of theoretical
perspectives and it addresses key issues such as management learning, equity,
assessment and costs and benefits.
BATEMAN, A & Clayton B 2002, Partnerships in assessment: Auspicing in action, NCVER, Adelaide.
This publication reports on a comprehensive examination of partnership assessment arrangements and provides the reader with a series of models for partnerships as well guidelines for those going down this assessment track.
TAFE NSW 1995, Teaching and Assessing in the Workplace, TAFE NSW VEAC, Sydney.
This valuable guide developed for TAFE managers and teachers provides guidelines and suggestions for determining the delivery process, establishing partnerships, roles and responsibilities of staff involved in workplace learning and assessment.
Vocational Education and Assessment Centre 1997, Fair Assessment for All - Guidelines for Reasonable Adjustment in Assessment, TAFE NSW VEAC, Sydney.
The project developed implementation guidelines and learning and assessment resource materials to assist teachers and trainers to meet the needs of people with an intellectual or learning disability.
DET Training & Development Directorate 1999, VITAL Plan, Conduct, Review Assessment, NSW DET, Sydney
This resource forms part of the VET Initial Teaching and Learning (VITAL) program. It is also used for mainstream and commercial programs for Plan, Conduct and Review Assessment. It can be downloaded from the VITAL product page.
GONCZI, A (Ed)1992, Developing a Competent Workforce, NCVER, Adelaide.
This publication addresses a range of issues facing VET practitioners when attempting to develop the skills of the workforce. One area of particular interest is the paper by G. Scott, Challenges Facing Vocational Teachers and Trainers in the 90s.
HAGER, P 1998, (Pp 30-42) Understanding workplace learning: General perspectives in Boud, D (Ed) Current Issues and New Agendas, NCVER, Adelaide.
This paper focuses on some of the central questions which contribute to our understanding of workplace learning, including what is workplace learning, what assumptions do various authors make about the nature of workplace learning, what conditions promote workplace learning, and what conditions limit workplace learning.
See Also