Compentency Portfolio

Community Alliance (CPCA)

Competency Portfolio
Community Alliance (CPCA)
Community representatives in Lindsay and Peterborough, Ontario
meet to review how a competency portfolio can be used with
individuals who are upgrading skills and/or seeking employment.
Funding obtained in three phases:
1. Train staff in prior learning assessment fundamentals and Portfolio
Development. Research and Develop a Resource Manual for
Competency Portfolio Development.
2. Develop workshop materials for portfolio development and train
staff on its use and implementation.
3. Deliver portfolio workshop materials to 3 at risk populations: older
workers, youth and social assistance recipients. Develop 3 videos
promoting competency portfolio development. Start an employer
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advisory group.
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Competency Portfolio
Community Alliance (CPCA)
Opportunities:
Job seeking clients often lack confidence and do not fully
understand their skills so have difficulty in promoting themselves
to employers.
All clients regardless of skill and educational background can
develop a portfolio.
Employers are having difficulty finding the right people so will
need to look at new ways of recruitment. The word equivalency
has not been defined.
Competency portfolio development has created an opportunity for
service coordination between employment and literacy agencies.
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Competency Portfolio
Community Alliance (CPCA)
Challenges:
The word portfolio has a negative image by both clients, employees
and employers.
Staff training on its own is not enough. There needs to be buy-in
from agency managers to ensure curriculum is added to
employment and literacy programming.
Employers need to look at new ways of recruiting to meet the skills
gap.

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The Literacy Lens

Literacy and Basic skills programming in Ontario works with

adult learners to ensure they have the necessary skills
required to transition into; high school credit, apprenticeship,
post secondary education, employment and personal
independence.
The use of the portfolio in LBS programs allows learners and
instructors a greater understanding of an individuals essential
skills.

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Benefits to traditional LBS

instruction
Adult learners in LBS have already had their fair share of setbacks.
Literacy practioners need to find new and innovative ways to ensure
skills training does not feel demeaning and irrelevant.
In addition to creative programming the portfolio also provides a
platform for learners to share their experiences in a directed story
telling format.
When the learner is able to play a more active role in the learning
process such as story telling the practioners begin to value the role
evidence based assessment plays in managing and setting learner
goals.

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The value of the process

Learners begin to see through the development of the

portfolio their literacy skills progressing.
The value in creating the document becomes a testimony to
their own abilities.
Successful completion of this project motivates learners to try
more complex actives and move with greater confidence
through the learning continuum.

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Challenges

A self directed focus is required for adult learners to buy into

skills training.
Traditional LBS instruction is based on existing structured modules
that emulate formal learning institutions.
The Competency Portfolio is a new and innovative collaborative
tool.
Anything new requires proof to convince instructors that the
process of creating a portfolio really does work in an outcomes
based environment.

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Solutions

From the literacy perspective the project is positioned to assist

programs with implementing the Portfolio Process directly into
their existing training.
All practioner resources have been fully articulated to the
Ontario Adult Learning Curriculum Framework.
Testimonials from other programs that have piloted the
program are getting the word out that this process truly
embraces adult learning principals.

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Competency
Portfolios
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Work
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