The development of key competencies in the workplace

Key skills common to several domains

Key skills have become an essential factor for employment, particularly because of their cross-cutting nature. The thesis attempts to demonstrate this and to identify, through statistical analysis, the influence of key skills management on the employability of individuals and the securing of their career paths over time.

In France There is a common base of key skills "cement of the nation" which largely refers to the basic skills identified by Europe :

1. Communication in the mother tongue
2. Communication in a foreign language
3. Mathematical culture and basic competence in science and technology
4. Digital culture
5. Learning to learn
   
6. Interpersonal skills, Intercultural and Social and Civic Competencies
7. Entrepreneurship
8. Cultural Sensitivity

Author Djemai Lassoued identifies a variety of definitions and nuances of competence. To situate the point I retain only one from the Traité des sciences et des techniques de la Formation, coordinated by Philippe Carré and Pierre Caspar (1999), Sandra Bellier proposes this definition of competence:

"Competence allows one to act and/or solve professional problems satisfactorily in a particular context, by mobilizing various abilities in an integrated manner" (1999: 226).

The author poses 3 hypotheses:

• Hypothesis No. 1: Key competencies derived from the Common European Framework of Reference and their correspondences in the Common Base of Knowledge and Competencies, constitute, with regard to the current socio-economic context, a prerequisite to employability;
  
• Hypothesis No. 2: the development of key competencies increases the employability of individuals and promotes the professional mobility of employees;
  
  
• Hypothesis No. 3: qualifying organizations promote the development of key competencies and optimize the performance of employees.

He endeavors to verify his hypotheses through qualitative interviews and by measuring the mastery of skills

Verifications

Verification of Hypothesis No. 1

The author's readings allow him to identify that it is, essentially, the problems related to education and training that are targeted by the public authorities on the issue, while the organizations have a significantly different understanding of key competencies.

For organizations the important thing is the development of skills through training, the commitment of the individual. According to, the summary of key skills identified in the employees of the Company S2C, from the positioning survey, 90.54% of key skills were referenced. After 15 years, S2C employees have still been in their jobs for an average of about 15 years.

Verification of hypothesis n°2

The quantitative analysis and more particularly the follow-up survey, shows that the development of key competencies through the implementation of a "Cap Compétences" scheme has increased the volume of identified key competencies by about 4%. Employees who have obtained external mobility represent approximately 26% (6 out of 23 individuals), i.e. approximately 2/3 (6 out of 9 individuals) of employees who have formulated a mobility project.

The author concludes that professional training, accompanied by dynamic and rewarding human resources management, reduces external professional mobility. Of course the salary, job satisfaction have an effect of retaining employees to remain loyal to the organization. The author urges caution in view of the small sample size of the follow-up survey. From the above, we can conclude that the hypothesis is confirmed.

Verification of Hypothesis #3

According to the author one of the conditions for the success of the implementation of a learning organization lies in the formalization of operating modes and procedures to allow for the permanent acquisition of new knowledge, and to promote learning situations, exchanges and collective learning, as well as the development of initiative and versatility.

Here skills are characterized by the relationship between the individual and his environment, the situations he has to live. It is in the transactions with the professional context that he will mobilize and/or develop them. The author postulates that certain organizations will prove to be more conducive, more facilitating, more "nourishing" and more shaping than others. The organization of work will generate particular, specific professional practices that will or will not be conducive to learning" (Fernagu Oudet, 2007). This facilitation of learning depends more on the micro organizations of workstations than on a general policy.

In the end, the analysis of the literature and research data validate the three hypotheses.

Sources

Djemai Lassoued. From the development of key workplace skills to the concept of "sustainable employability skills". Education. Normandie University, 2017.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01709184/document