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CMS Development and Implementation

If this is your first competence assurance or competence management system, there is a lot to think about.

You need to develop a system that will work now and in the future.

You also need to implement a competency management system that will work for everyone involved…. from assessors, the employees being assessed, your internal verifiers and QHSE through to clients, industry bodies and auditors.

We can help you implement a competency management system that will work first time, so please get in touch.

A Global Roll Out

Increasingly, the competency management system you implement will have to work for everyone, wherever they work and whatever they do.

Thinking about how your CMS will work globally can be daunting.  But as long as you think through the detail and do not over complicate your competency management system, you should be able to roll this out smoothly.

Please get in touch if you would like more information.

OPITO Accreditation

If you would like your competency management system to be accredited by OPITO, then we can help you implement a CMS that meets the OPITO requirements.

Please get in touch if you would like more information.

Going Online

You may know from the start of your competency system management project that you want to manage your CMS online.

We can work with you to develop and roll out the online support that you need.

Please get in touch if you would like more information.

SQA Centre of Excellence

If you have decided that you want to set-up a SQA Centre of Excellence, then we can help:

… from understanding the requirements of SQA;

implementing procedures to meet the quality assurance requirements;

agreeing roles and responsibilities;

 ….to training assessors and internal verifiers.

Please get in touch if you would like more information.

Developing Standards

We can work with you to develop your in-house standards. 

You might also want some help rolling out theses standards or assessing the competence of your employees against these standards.

Case Studies

" Polaris Learning has provided technical support for new elements of the Technip UK Ltd competency scheme for offshore workers, training course development and delivery of training courses for competence assessors, internal verifiers and appraisal skills.

Our continued use of Polaris Learning demonstrates the excellent content and support received from Polaris Learning".

David J Moxey, Training & Competence Manager.

Client Feedback

"The feedback forms from the first training course have indicated that the attendees were pleased and saw benefits to having the training. As opposed to taking a few months to complete, they were able to dedicate themselves to the work and complete the course in a few days.  The consultant from Polaris Learning Ltd also provided some very useful portfolios."

Jonelle Salter
Offshore Learning and Development Advisor
Saipem Ltd

Tips for Success!

When implementing your Competency Management System, there is a lot to address and it is not hard to imagine why some organisations feel their competency assurance system does not prove or completely demonstrate competency for all roles. With skills shortages and not enough time to give the younger generation years to build up experience, a robust competence assurance system becomes even more important.

Identify the right competencies

Link all your competencies to your safety management systems/safety case.  These documents provide essential information to help guide you.  But remember to get input from your offshore personnel.

Draw a map

Map out the competency process so that only workplace competencies are assessed offshore.  Otherwise you risk duplication of effort between training, familiarisation, emergency response training and competency.

Build a workable system

Competence assessment is a small part of what supervisors and teams are asked to do offshore.  So your documentation has to be clear and quick to use.  The working part must line up with responsibilities.  The people doing the assessments (the assessors) can be given checklists that reflect key aspects of procedures and risk assessments.

Prioritise your people

If this is your third or fourth look at competencies then focus on people new to roles.  Assess the level of risk - two people might be new to a role but the one who has not been offshore before has to be a priority.

Get management buy-in

Competency and training can be seen as a second priority to off-shore crews.  The main management team needs to be bought into the process.

Provide Quality Assessor Training

Assessor training is the key to successful implementation.  Training should focus on the competency system.  Some of the training will also help develop effective supervision skills as these are also required for an assessor to be effective.

Provide accessible guidance

We find that a short guide with examples of evidence works really well.  Offshore assessors can use it as a quick reference guide and verifiers can also refer to it.

If you are new to competency management systems or just want to refresh your knowledge, then you might find the following of our blog articles useful:

A refresher on Competency Management Systems

Internal verification and your competency management system