| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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It will then be illustrated by designing such competency standards for selected soft skills and demonstrating how they might be recognised as valid by those who could be called upon to use them in the workplace. Formatted documents will thus be designed, which will define elements, performance criteria, the range of variables, and evidence guides for the selected skills. Standards thus developed may then be used in the subsequent development of implementation processes such as the development of assessment and training strategies.
Theoretical Purpose
The theoretical purpose is to provide an argument for the validity of the standards developed. This is varied and complex and involves integrating a number of literatures. It may also be explored on three levels: the foundation level, the application level, and the context level. At the foundation level, it explores the adaptation of the concept of competency involved in soft skills and relates to the concept generally employed in competency standards. At the application level, it works through and applies a variety of conceptual issues relating to specific selected skills. At the context level, it relates these concepts to the definition and selection of key or generic competencies. As with the overall purposes, these three levels will also weave in and out of focus throughout the progress of the book.
Ethical Purpose
The ethical dimension underlies the instrumental and theoretical purposes. Although mainly implicit (it rarely comes into an explicit focus), it is nevertheless an important background issue that has significantly provided the motivation for writing this book. For example, this dimension is reflected to the goal of specifying standards for skills that underpin “the personal attributes of teamwork, a work ethic, and a preparedness to be flexible and to embrace change” (Curtis & McKenzie, 2001, p. x). These are needed by individuals, commonly called for by employers and required in the workplace (see Curtis & McKenzie, 2001; see also Ritchie, 2002).