In Oracle HRMS, a competency is any measurable behavior or ability that is required by the enterprise and that a worker demonstrates in the work context. For example, a competency can be:
Knowledge (such as knowledge of consumer-protection or taxation laws)
A skill (such as negotiation or critical thinking)
An attitude (such as tenacity or commitment)
An attribute (such as absence of color blindness or perfect pitch)
Competency definitions are the basis of many talent-management activities. In particular, you can define:
A competency profile for each worker showing the worker's level of proficiency in various competencies
See: Competency Profiles, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
The competency requirements of a business group, organization, job, or position to enable you to identify suitable candidates for vacancies and assess workers against these requirements.
See: Competency Requirements, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
You can define competencies that are available to a particular business group. Alternatively, you can create global competencies, which are available throughout the enterprise, provided that your system administrator has identified a global competence key flexfield structure on the HR:Global Competence Flex Structure profile option.
Global competencies are most useful if your enterprise operates in multiple countries but you want to use the same competency definitions in all legislations.
The HRMS competency functions enable you to set performance expectations for your workers that are consistent and objective.
During appraisal activities, HRMS enables you to assess the degree to which a worker possesses a competency. For example, for the negotiation skills competency, a worker's proficiency level could be 3 on a scale of 1 through 5, where 5 indicates the greatest expertise.
See: Competency Measurement, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
You can define competencies individually in the Competencies window. Alternatively, you can upload multiple global competencies from third-party suppliers using the Oracle HRMS Web ADI interface. This approach may be useful to enterprises implementing competency support for the first time.
See: Defining Competencies, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide and Uploading Third-Party Competency Information, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Some legislations identify a special type of competency known as a unit standard competency. (A Unit Standard is typically a nationally registered document that describes performance standards for a competency. Industry representatives define and maintain the Unit Standard.)
A formal qualification results from the achievement of one or more unit standard competencies. Such qualifications are registered with a national Qualifications Framework, which identifies, for example, the number of credits attached to the qualification and to its constituent competencies, the awarding body, and the field of learning to which the qualification belongs.
If your enterprise defines many competencies, you may find it helpful to classify them by type. For example, you can define a competency type of Language Skills to include any language competency that your enterprise values (such as written Spanish, spoken Spanish, written Japanese, spoken Japanese, and so on). You can then retrieve competency definitions by type.
See: Competency Types, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Follow these steps to set up the rating scale and competency, to enter language skills held by your employees and contingent workers, and to apply the values defined to employees and contingent workers.
Create the rating scale to measure the language skill. For example, create a rating scale entitled "Language Scale", whose type is Proficiency, with levels of 1- Basic (A) - oral, 2 - Basic (B) - written, up to the highest level of proficiency, 9 - Advanced (C) - oral and written, See: Defining Rating Scales, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Create the competency for each language skill you want to record, and attach the rating scale to the competency. For example, create a competency if you want to record "German" language skill for employees. Attach the rating scale to record the level of proficiency. See: Defining Competencies, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Assign the competency to an employee using the Competency Profile window. For example, select the employee for whom you want to record the language skill and level of proficiency. See: Creating a Competency Profile, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Note: The user can use the Certification Date field to record their Certification Completion Year information.
To enable you to record Certification Numbers against each competency, define a free-text segment Certification Number using the Additional Competence Element Details flexfield.
See: Defining Descriptive Flexfields, Oracle Applications Flexfields Guide
Oracle HRMS enables you to record the types of qualifications recognized by your enterprise, including:
Educational and vocational qualifications
Licenses
Awards
Honors
You can rank qualifications. For example, you could rank a doctorate as 1, a master's degree as 2, a bachelor's degree as 3, and so on. You can rank equivalent qualifications at the same level. For example, you could rank both a bachelor's degree and a vocational qualification as level 3. This feature is useful for identifying all workers qualified at level 3 or above, for example.
Qualifications Framework qualifications result from the achievement of unit standard competencies. For this type of qualification, you record national Qualifications Framework details, including the number of credits attached to the qualification, the awarding body, and the field of learning to which the qualification belongs.
You can identify the schools and colleges that deliver the qualifications that your enterprise recognizes so that you can record where a worker gained a qualification. As schools and colleges are available to all business groups, you have to define them once only.
You record your workers' qualifications when they join the enterprise and on completion of subsequent training courses. Oracle HRMS also updates a worker's qualification record automatically when:
A worker has achieved all unit standard competencies that contribute to a Qualifications Framework qualification.
The worker's manager has approved the award of the qualification.
Note: If the person for whom you are entering qualifications has person records that are linked together in more than one business group, then you will be able to see, but not update, any qualifications entered for them in other business groups.
Use the Qualifications window, accessed from the People window, to enter and update qualifications.
To enter qualifications
Select the type of qualification this person possesses and the title of the qualification.
If you need to set up additional qualification types, see: Defining Qualification Types, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Select the status of the qualification, for example, whether training is ongoing or completed.
Enter the grade at which the person holds the qualification, if appropriate.
Select the establishment at which the person gained the qualification.
If you need to set up additional establishments, see: Defining Schools and Colleges, Oracle HRMS Workforce Sourcing, Deployment, and Talent Management Guide
Optionally, enter the awarding body that bestowed the qualification. If you recorded this value in the qualification types record, it appears here automatically.
Enter the dates between which the qualification is gained. You must enter a Start date but you can leave the End date blank (if the qualification is still incomplete).
Optionally, enter the date the qualification was awarded.
Enter the projected completion date the qualification is awarded, if relevant.
Enter the ranked position within the class, if relevant.
Optionally, enter any comments, for example, what percentage of the award was course work or examination.
To enter Further Qualification Information
Click in the Further Information field to open the Further Qualification Information window.
Select the institute the person qualified from, for example industrial school or technical school.
Enter the highest qualification the person earned, for example Postgraduate qualification.
Save your work.
You can now:
To enter tuition fees for reimbursement
In the Tuition Details tabbed region, enter the amount and select the currency to reimburse the person.
Select the method of tuition, for example, day release.
Enter the method of reimbursement, for example, bank transfer to be paid when qualification is awarded.
Save your changes.
Choose the Training Details tabbed region.
Enter the amount of training completed. For example, enter 30 days completed of a training program that lasts 60 days.
Enter the total amount of training required to deliver the qualification.
Enter the units in which the training is measured, for example, days.
Choose the License Details tabbed region.
Enter the license number, for example, a driving license number.
Enter any restrictions, for example, license not valid in certain states.
Enter the license expiry date.
To enter professional membership details
Choose the Professional Membership tabbed region.
Select the professional body to whom the person belongs. The list of available organizations is limited to those given the classification of Professional Body.
Enter the membership number and select the membership category for the person.
The membership categories available depend on the user defined table that has been selected to be used to calculate subscription rates for the professional body. This is used to calculate the amount that should be deducted during the payroll run.
Select the method by which the subscription is to be paid. This is optional and for information only.
To view Qualifications Framework details
Choose the Qualifications Framework Details tabbed region.
If the selected qualification is a Qualifications Framework qualification, its details are displayed. For example, you can see its ID, the field of learning with which it is associated, and the number of credits earned. You cannot update this information.
If the selected qualification is not a Qualifications Framework qualification, the fields in this region are blank.
Enter the first subject the qualification comprises.
Select the status at which the subject is awarded, for example, whether training in the subject is ongoing.
Enter the dates between which the subject is studied. You must enter a Start date but you can leave the End date blank (if the subject is still incomplete).
If the subject forms a major part of the qualification, check the Major box.
Optionally, enter the grade at which the subject is studied.
Continue to enter further subjects until you have entered them all for the qualification, then save your changes.