Due to the large number of foreign workers needed by Oman's thriving industries, the actual qualification levels of incoming workers shall be monitored and subject to skill testing.



The department for Testing and Certification should be closely associated with MoM's department of Occupational Standards and Curriculum development because the basis of work for testing lies in the occupational standards which have to be developed by the experts of the respective department. Furthermore, both the conceptual as well as the operational work in testing have to be carried out in close cooperation with the private sector because the alliance with the private sector should be a constitutive part of the work of this department.

Testing necessarily goes along with certification as the seal of confidence which should confirm any tested achievement. As such, certification is part of testing and no specific positions have been allocated for this task.

Guidelines for Writing Competency-Based Multiple-Choice Items

While every core competency is unique, and can only be tested in the context of the CWP, it is not productive to develop guidelines for writing questions to test each one separately. There is, however, considerable common content between competencies across CWPs. For example, several CWPs require the worker to "communicate with customers and team members" in different contexts; others require the worker to "determine information needs and gather diagnostic information by various means - e.g., experience, scan tools, physical investigation".

In the case of the Automotive Mechatronic, the core competencies across all CWPs can be provisionally classified into the eight broad groups given in the table below.

Types of Work-Process Competency

Background knowledge, understanding of principles, procedures etc. Communication - with customers in particular, and team members. Use of documentation (e.g. service plans) to gather information, applying written instructions. Determining information needs and gathering diagnostic information by various means - experience, scan tools, physical investigation Comparing and assessing different solutions to make recommendations or decisions based on available information Processing a job using standard procedures - planning, estimating, processing orders for parts etc., selecting tools etc., recording appropriately actions taken etc. Carrying out operations - repairs, replacements of parts, etc. Awareness and implementation of environmental and other rules (e.g., for safe disposal of waste, checking repairs or replacements, assuring safety etc.)

Focusing on tasks which are common to different core competencies helps to build item writing skills; and it is on this basis that a guide for item writing and review can be developed. Specific guidelines on how to develop multiple-choice questions to assess these eight types of process competency, with examples, are given in annex 2 below.

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They can be described as follows:

(a) Semi-Skilled Worker

Semi-skilled workers are capable of carrying out a restricted number of work tasks in an occupational area. These tasks have to be regarded as part of the complete portfolio of work of a skilled worker. Yet, on top of their restricted scope of skills semi-skilled workers lack the vocational autonomy of being fully aware of all the implications of their work and in particular of the possible interdependencies between different work activities (as described in the occupational profile). Since the standards follow a rank-order of proceeding from the not so difficult to the more complicated ones, standard 1 and 2 are here recommended to constitute an area of skill requirements which may be mastered by semi-skilled workers.

(b) Skilled Worker/Craftsman

Skilled workers/craftsmen are capable of carrying out all skill requirements of an occupational area. Beyond the mere coverage of all the skill requirements which underlie the complete sequence of standards, a skilled worker/craftsman is in command of the vocational autonomy to assess, appraise and handle not only the obvious work to be preformed but also the implications which it may have and the interdependencies which may occur. Consequently he has the ability to asses the nature of the work to be done, to plan it in all its aspects, to carry it out and to hand over or pass on the completed work wherever relevant.

With regard to the occupational standards (example: car mechatronic) the skilled worker/craftsman must be able to master all work regarding all 9 standards including all technical implications which may arise from this work.

(c) Master Skilled Worker/Master Craftsman

Master skilled workers/master craftsmen are capable of carrying out all the tasks of a skilled worker, also including all implications which may arise from this work. Typically a master skilled worker/master craftsman possesses excellent skills regarding the whole portfolio of required skills in an occupation.

Yet, this excellence in qualification is not necessarily an information which needs to be assessed respectively tested. The proof of being competent for the full range of standards should be sufficient. However, what actually distinguishes the "master" level from the skilled level is a number of additional qualifications which place the "master" in a particular position catering to the following shopfloor needs:

• educational qualification which is needed to be the reference person for the trainees in a section and to define the further training needs for the semi-skilled and skilled workers,
• accountancy-qualification which is needed to understand the cost and benefit considerations for the operation of a section,
• personnel-affairs-qualification which is needed for the "master" to serve as an on-site reference for the other employees of the section,
• entrepreneurial qualification which is needed for the "master" to understand the business development implications of the operational procedures of the section, enabling him to pass this insight on to the company's management.

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