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Human Resource Service

Essex
competency
toolkit
April 2005
Essex County Council and the
East of England Regional Assembly

Working in partnership with

Essex Competency Toolkit

Contents
Forward
What is a Competency?
What is a Competency Framework?
Which organisations use Competency Frameworks?
1 - Competencies in other organisations

What does the Essex Competency Framework look like?


2 - Competency Framework wheel
Summary of the Essex Competency Framework
3 The Essex Competency Framework

What makes our Competency Framework good?


Application to different groups
Councillors
4 Extract of Member Appraisal Scheme
Senior and middle managers
5 - Corporate objectives for senior managers 2005/6
Employees
6 - An example of a job profile and completed PMR paperwork
Competency Dictionary
7 - An illustration of how the Competency measures progress

What are the national and local key drivers that influence the Essex
Competency Framework?
8 - The Essex Competency Framework Drivers, Uses and Future Developments
The Gershon Efficiency Review
9 - Library Service case study

Essex Competency Toolkit

Government Legislation / Regulations


Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA)
National Pay and Workforce Strategy and Local Workforce Development Plan
Investors in People
10 - Extract from the Investors in People Assessors Report - December 2003
Single Status Agreement
Best Value Performance Indicators
Essex Corporate Plan
11 The Essex Approach 2001-2005
Local Service Agreements

How is the Essex Competency Framework used?


Recruitment and selection
Stages of the recruitment & selection process
Writing the job profile and person specification
12 - Example of job profile Technology Strategy Manager
13 - Castle Point case study
Recruitment advertising
14 - Admin & Clerical Talent Pool generic job profile
Inviting applications
15 - Information in support of job application - example
Shortlisting
16 - Completed short list form - example
Assessment Centres
17 - Assessment Centre example
Interviewing

Essex Competency Toolkit

A guide to structured interview questions


18 Contact Centre Manager interview questions
Deciding to appoint
Managing performance
How to use competencies in reviewing performance
Managing performance
Links to the corporate objectives and strategies
19 - Example of a completed objective setting form
Competencies
20 - Example of completed competency form
Personal Development Plan
21 - Example of a completed Personal Development Plan
22 Development Centres and Personal Competency Development Tracker
23 - Extract from our Employee PMR Guide
Applying performance management to job families
24 - School Crossing Patrol booklet
25 Home Care booklet
Staff development
26 - Staff development module list by competencies
Pay progression
Linking Performance to Pay
Senior Managers
Middle Managers
Employees
27 - Competency Dictionary

Essex Competency Toolkit

Monitoring and Evaluation

Future developments
The National Core CompetenciesFramework (Employers Organisation)
28 - Employers Organisation
e-Competencies (ODPM)
29 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
e-Government Agenda
Child Protection

Implementing a competency approach


30 Presentation Implementing the Essex Competency Framework
The key features of successful implementation
31 - Implementing Competencies at Uttlesford

Links with East of England Regional Assembly & Employers


Organisation
32 East of England Regional Assembly

Support on competencies
What our employees think
From manager
From staff

Essex Competency Toolkit

Foreword
This toolkit has been designed to help local authorities understand the importance of a
competency approach, where it can be applied and some practical examples of how we
use our Competency Framework at Essex County Council (ECC).
You can either work through the Toolkit from the beginning or dip into the parts which
interest you most. The kit includes links which contain detailed practical guidance.
Over the past four years, our Council has been at the forefront of local government
modernisation - in particular our Comprehensive Performance Assessment highlighted our
people management approach and our can do culture. The Essex Competency
Framework, introduced in 2000, allows us to build a workforce that is both adaptable to
local needs, making Essex a better place to live and work, and capable of reacting to
regional and national demands.
Our framework assesses behaviour as well as the how element of tasks. It is now
being highlighted as local government best practice both regionally and nationally.
The Essex Competency Framework has been critical to our organisational change process
and is a key building block in our Human Resource Strategy. It reflects the Councils aims
and Core Values (outlined in the Essex Approach) by placing objectivity, accountability
and transparency at the heart of everything we do.
The Framework has proved an easy way of highlighting skills and behaviours required in
the organisation to deliver quality services. It has also given us the ability to recruit the
best staff, to performance manage against priorities, and develop our people for
continuous service improvement.
Based on research and developing local and national practice it is aligned to the emerging
employee skills, competencies and behaviours within our changing organisational culture.
This ensures we are more customer and service focused and helps us sharpen our
performance management culture too.

Essex Competency Toolkit

What is a Competency?
At Essex, competencies can be defined as individual characteristics or skills that can be
both measured and shown to make a difference to performance. The competency
approach ensures we focus on the behaviours, skills and abilities required by particular
roles.
Competencies can measure how we do things in the same way that objectives can
measure what we do.

What is a Competency Framework?


Competencies need to be structured in a logical way in order to make them usable. Many
organisations therefore set them in a framework.
The Framework is an outline which is consistent across the organisation and helps to
identify the types of behaviour the organisation wishes to promote, develop and is keen to
engender. It is a key building block that links all of our councils people management
strategies and policies.

Which organisations use Competency


Frameworks?
Competency Frameworks can be used in any organisation and are as relevant to the
local/central government context as they are to the private sector. There are examples of
good practice in the retail trade (Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys and Boots) the finance
sector (Royal Bank of Scotland), in industry (Ford) and the voluntary sector (British Heart
Foundation).
1 - Competencies in other organisations

Essex Competency Toolkit

What does the Essex Competency Framework


look like?

twelve main headings, comprising eleven behavioural competency headings and one
specific professional and technical

a list outlining what each competency contains

a set of measures/range of descriptive statements of how competency is


demonstrated.

2 - Competency Framework wheel

Summary of the Essex Competency Framework


Competency 1

Self Awareness and Control

Contains

Self Awareness, Self Discipline and Organisation, Self Control,


Integrity, Priority Management.

Competency 2

Personal Effectiveness and Self Development

Contains

Drive and Energy, Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity, Assertiveness


and Influence, Innovation, Decisiveness, Self Development and
Continuous Learning, Awareness of Risk Management Issues, An
Open Mind.

Competency 3

Analysis and Judgement

Contains

Information Gathering, Problem Analysis, Problem Solving, Judgement.

Competency 4

Interpersonal Skills

Contains

Sensitivity to Others, Teamwork, Developing and Maintaining


Relationships, Awareness of Equality and Diversity Issues, Spoken
Communication, Written Communication, IT Supported
Communication.

Competency 5

Organisational Awareness and Joined Up Thinking

Contains

Organisational Awareness, Working Across Boundaries, Awareness of


External Environments, Strategic Thinking.

Essex Competency Toolkit

Competency 6

Customer/client Orientation

Contains

Understanding Customer/Client Needs and Expectations, Developing


and Using Customer/Client Service Standards, Awareness of Equality
and Diversity Issues in Service Delivery, Providing Valued Services,
Using Customer/Client Feedback in Continuous Improvement,
Commercially Astute.

Competency 7

Using/managing Resources

Contains

Budgets and Cost-Control, Information Management and Technology,


and Data Protection, Buildings, Equipment and Materials.

Competency 8

Working in Partnership and Managing Contracts

Contains

Developing and Working in Partnership, Procurement of Services,


Contract and Project Management and Monitoring.

Competency 9

Managing Processes and Measuring Results

Contains

Process Design and Management, Defining Performance Indicators,


Measuring Outcomes.

Competency 10

Managing and Developing People

Contains

Recruiting and Inducting Competent Employees, Agreeing and


Monitoring Objectives, Empowering Others, Motivating Individuals and
Teams, Valuing Diversity, Developing Others, Managing Conduct and
Performance Issues, Managing Employee Care.

Competency 11

Leadership

Contains

Personal Credibility, Environmental Scanning, Providing Direction,


Providing Resources, Promoting and Leading Change, Passion for
Quality/Excellence, Developing Relationships and Inter-relationships,
Promoting and Marketing Services.

Competency 12

Professional and Technical

Contains

Relevant Planned Experience, Qualifications to do the job,


Continuous Professional/Technical Development, Planned Career
Development, Awareness of similar roles in other organisations.

Essex Competency Toolkit

3 - The Essex Competency Framework

What makes our Competency Framework


good?
It is:

clear and simple to understand and provides consistent language across a large,
diverse organisation

relevant to all those involved

flexible enough to be used across the whole organisation

relevant to the Councils business aims

fair for all who use it

a logical structure.

The Competency Framework applies to everyone from our frontline employees to our
Councillors and senior managers including the Chief Executive making it unique in Local
Government and helping join up the organisation, Members and Officers.

Application to different groups


Councillors
As part of the strategic leadership of the Council it is important that Councillors are up to
date with legislative changes and good practice to support them in their roles. It is also
vital that they receive constant support to help them develop their abilities.
A comprehensive Member Appraisal Scheme has been designed and includes the
development and recording of objectives, assessment of competencies and evaluation of
performance and development needs annually.
4 Extract of Member Appraisal scheme

Essex Competency Toolkit

Senior and middle managers


The competencies are aligned to the business objectives of the Essex Approach to assess
the performance of senior and middle managers. In the last two years senior manager
appraisal has included common corporate and individual service objectives, competencies
and a personal development plan.
5 - Corporate objectives for senior managers 2005/6

Employees
The Council has a consistent approach to appraisal, called Performance Management
Review, applicable to all its staff. The elements are:

meeting your key objectives

demonstrating your chosen competencies

providing evidence

identifying your development needs

6 - An example of a job profile completed PMR paperwork

Competency Dictionary
The Competency Dictionary has been developed to apply the Essex Competency
Framework to all staff in Essex subject to the Single Status Agreement. Measures have
been developed to reflect the level appropriate for each spinal column point (pay point). In
developing the competency dictionary care has been taken to ensure that the measures
are:

understandable

achievable

capable of assessment.

Some of the measures are constant (i.e. fixed throughout the spinal column points), others
have elements which are progressively more challenging.
7 - An illustration of how the competency measures progress

Essex Competency Toolkit

In practice the Dictionary is accessed electronically on the Councils intranet site by


employees and managers, to produce the measures for the appropriate spinal column
point. Pay progression from the first to the second point in each of these broad bands is
automatic, based on service. There is no automatic progression from one band to another.

What are the National and Local Key drivers


that influence the Essex Competency
Framework?
8 - The Essex Competency Framework Drivers, Uses and Future Developments

The Gershon Efficiency Review


Gershon calls for efficiency savings and the Using/Managing Resources competency
helps to focus our activity in this area specifically budgets and cost control and working
constantly with the principle of value for money actively seeking to work more efficiently
and thereby release money for other uses.
9 Library Service case study

Government Legislation / Regulations


Government legislation requires organisations to be more customer focussed, flexible and
to provide equal access to jobs, information and services. The Essex Competency
Framework supports these major national themes particularly by the competencies on
customer/client orientation and inter-personal skills.

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA)


The Competency Framework was seen as a key building block to the good assessment
result where the Council was praised for its people performance management and can-do
culture. In future CPA will require local authorities to consider their longer term workforce
development needs the Competency Framework has a clear role to play here.

Essex Competency Toolkit

National Pay and Workforce Strategy and Local


Workforce Development Plan
The office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) National Pay and Workforce Strategy
requires Public Authorities to consider five key themes:

Developing Leadership

Developing the Skills of the Workforce

Developing the Organisation

Resourcing Local Government

Pay and Rewards.

A number of these themes are aligned to our Competency Framework for example, we
have a leadership competency that identifies the need for personal credibility, providing
direction and leading change.
Councils are measuring their activities against the above themes and putting in place
workforce development plans. In Essex the Competencies will be a key element of our
workforce development plan.

Investors in People
The Council is committed to retaining its Investors in People (IiP) accreditation. The
Competency Framework helps us meet and exceed the IiP standard by providing a
framework for our recruitment processes, development and review process and job
profile/person specification.
10 - Extract from the Investors in People Assessors Report - December 2003

Single Status Agreement


The Competency Dictionary that expands on the Competency Framework was introduced
for staff in Essex who were part of the Single Status Agreement. Essex implemented the
Single Status agreement under which pay increments are linked to satisfactory
performance with effect from June 2001- being one of the first councils to do so.

Essex Competency Toolkit

Best Value Performance Indicators


A number of the Best Value Performance Indicators analyse the composition of the
workforce BV 11, 16 and 17. The Competency Framework helps us to attract and recruit a
diverse workforce, taking into account gender, disability and ethnicity by placing the
emphasis on competencies rather than traditional routes such as qualifications.

Essex Corporate Plan


The Council has a clear direction in its corporate plan, currently called the Essex
Approach, that outlines our priorities and objectives. The priorities include getting Essex
moving again by tackling road congestion and improving public transport and giving the
elderly the support they need to stay in their own homes, to name just two.
11 Essex Approach 2001 - 2005
Along with what we want to achieve, the Council has also agreed a set of Core Values
that outline how we will work e.g. the:

Council develops and supports its staff and recognises their achievements

Council is committed to fairness and enables equal access to opportunities for all.

The Council received a good CPA assessment result and is now striving to improve. A
Corporate Plan is being developed for 2005/9.

Local Service Agreements


Local service agreements have been established to support capacity building across local
councils. They encourage partnership and joint project working. The Essex Competency
Framework can be used as a key organisational development tool across a number of
authorities, for example, the Essex Leadership Centre of Excellence. This centre is a
flagship project that has received ODPM Capacity Building Funding. It involves 14
authorities across Essex and includes personal development, organisational sharing and
addressing key CPA themes that impact on Essex. The Centre has a personal
development tracking tool aligned to the Essex Competency Framework.

Essex Competency Toolkit

How is the Essex Competency Framework


used?
It is used as a key organisational development tool for all our employees and Councillors
in recruitment, selection, performance management and staff development it is a
fundamental building block to our HR Strategy. The following shows how the Council uses
the Essex Competency Framework.

Recruitment and selection


Competencies help achieve objectivity, transparency and fairness through the recruitment
process they challenge recruiters to be clear about the precise skills and behaviours
required for the job.
They also help us promote equality, eliminate discrimination and enable equal access to
opportunities for all ensuring we act fairly and support our aim to be an Employer of
Choice appointing the best person for the job. This means that through the recruitment
process all jobseekers (including those from under represented groups) can more readily
demonstrate their suitability for jobs, adding to the diversity of our workforce and the
services we can offer.
Significantly, the competencies have introduced a shift in the assessment and selection of
jobseekers from a reliance on more traditional requirements (such as qualifications and
years of experience) to the skills and abilities directly related to the requirements of
particular roles. Such an approach is key to success in a changing environment.
Although in certain instances a qualification is an essential requirement to undertake a
job, e.g. social worker, in many cases such a requirement is not necessary and specifying
a qualification can restrict the pool from which we can recruit, limits the diversity of the
workforce and the knowledge base of the organisation.
Also, specifying years of experience does not necessarily mean that the jobseeker is
competent for the role. The competencies also support forthcoming Age legislation by
reinforcing the principle of removing age barriers in job profiles. The emphasis is better
placed on competency and skill to undertake the job rather than on years of experience or
age.

10

Essex Competency Toolkit

To support managers in the recruitment and selection process, we offer a two day
Recruitment & Selection module on our Staff Development Programme where the use of
the competencies is covered.

Stages of the recruitment and selection process


Writing the job profile and person specification
We have introduced a generic job profile template. This provides a consistent
approach by ensuring that competencies are included in all job profiles.
The person specification element of the job profile defines the competencies required
by the role, alongside education, training and experience.
12 - Example of job profile Technology Strategy Manager
13 - Castle Point case study
Recruitment advertising
Applying a competency approach to recruitment helps us reduce recruitment
advertising. In particular areas, such as administration and clerical jobs we have
developed generic job profiles which outline the skills and behaviours needed for all
admin and clerical posts this helps when we consider talent pool approaches to
recruitment saving costly large advertisements. For the jobseeker this means only
applying once for a job at the Council.
14 Admin & Clerical Talent Pool generic job profile
Inviting applications
Our recruitment literature outlines the 4 or 5 competencies required and invites
jobseekers to match their application as closely as possible to the requirements
contained in the person specification.
15 - Information in support of job application example

11

Essex Competency Toolkit

Shortlisting
Applying the chosen competencies makes it much easier to select/reject candidates
objectively and confidently.
16 - Completed short list form - example
Assessment Centres
Having 4 or 5 key competencies identified for the post makes selection of appropriate
tests easier and the results more relevant.
17 - Assessment Centre example
Interviewing
Managers are advised to set interview questions in line with the person specification
which includes the relevant competencies.
A guide to structured interview questions
Organisationally, we have developed a guide to assist managers in the use of the
Essex County Council Competency Framework throughout the recruitment and
selection process. Under each of the twelve main competency headings, there is a
selection of structured interview questions. These are designed to encourage
jobseekers to give examples of how they demonstrate competence from their own
experience throughout the selection interview. Supplementary questions are also
outlined to help probe for further details. They help recruiting managers to frame
relevant questions aligned to the person specification.
The guide is used for external jobseekers as well as selecting and promoting existing
staff either via, for example promotion or redeployment.
18 Contact Centre Manager interview questions
Deciding to appoint
Evidence through the recruitment and selection process provides a solid basis on
which to make a decision on who to appoint. It also provides a sound and objective
basis for feedback to candidates.

12

Essex Competency Toolkit

Managing performance
The Framework has a key role in performance management review (our appraisal scheme).
Benefits of this structured approach include:
For the organisation

to manage good and poor performance

to identify training and development for the future

motivate staff

reward performance

reinforce organisational values and culture

succession plan

audit consistency across the organisation.

For the employee

identify how well they are performing in their current role

identify training & development needs in the current role and possible future roles

rate performance to help assess reward

identify potential for future progression.

How to use competencies in reviewing performance


Managing performance
The Competency Framework has provided a common language for discussion and is
a non-confrontational way of discussing/raising problems/development areas with
staff.
Links to the corporate objectives and strategies
Each member of staff works with their manager to agree 6 to 8 objectives for each
performance cycle. In addition to the operational objectives there are also a number

13

Essex Competency Toolkit

of corporate objectives to help support organisational culture change and ensure that
senior managers are working towards the changing nature of the organisation.
19 - Example of completed objective setting form
Competencies
As well as objectives, 4 or 5 competency headings (which will include up to 10
measures for senior managers, for example) are selected and employees agree with
their manager whether development is needed against these
competencies/measures.
20 - Example of completed competency form
Personal Development Plan
Where it is considered that development is needed, then the personal development
plan identifies the competencies and possible agreed methods of meeting the
development need.
21 - Example of completed Personal Development Plan
The Development Centre and Personal Competency Development Tracker are
structured tools which assist identifying and meeting development needs.
22 Development Centres and Personal Competency Development Tracker
23 Extract from our Employee PMR guide
Applying performance management to job families
Over the last three years, the council has also developed common objectives and
applied common competencies for some job families i.e. school crossing patrols and
home care staff.
This simplifies the performance management process where there are generic job
profiles and large groups of staff, particularly remote workers.
24 - School Crossing Patrol booklet
25 - Home Care booklet

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Essex Competency Toolkit

Staff development
To ensure that our training & development needs are aligned to the Essex Competency
Framework we have put in place a Staff Development Programme accredited at its various
levels by Greenwich University, the Institute of Management and Leadership and City &
Guilds.
Individual courses, modules and learning methods are directly linked to the competencies
and employees are able to receive development directly relevant to the job they do and the
needs they have. This needs to be regularly evaluated to ensure that the training is up-todate and in line with the changing culture of the organisation e.g. equality training.
As a result, the competencies have seen our training and development programmes move
from an ad-hoc pick list to a proactive, demand led development model linked to the
corporate strategy.
Because all generic training and development is linked to the competencies, employees
now seek the training they require in order that they can cite it in their reviews. The
training therefore becomes integral to the development of the employee and the overall
drive of the council to continuously improve service delivery.
The Competency Framework guides our existing workforce down a path of improving their
performance in their existing jobs and improving their suitability for those jobs to which
they aspire because the competencies are relevant to the whole organisation.
26 - Staff development module list by competencies

Pay progression
Linking performance to pay
At Essex County Council we have linked objectives and competencies to our reward /
remuneration strategy. This approach applies to three main pay groups:
Senior managers
A scheme was introduced in 2002/03 for senior managers performance pay (our top
150 managers); each senior manager has 6 8 service objectives plus agreed
corporate objectives, competencies and a personal development plan. An annual

15

Essex Competency Toolkit

assessment of performance is undertaken based on the achievement of objectives


and the demonstration of competencies. See link 5 for corporate objectives for senior
managers
Senior managers are appointed on a 10-point pay scale; in addition they are eligible
to earn a performance pay element of up to 15%.
Middle managers
A scheme was introduced in 2004 / 05 for performance pay for middle managers
(approximately 1500 managers). In addition to the incremental progression approach
linked to performance, service groups have the flexibility to introduce career
progression schemes which allow for accelerated progression.
Employees
The Single Status Agreement was implemented in Essex in June 2001. Following the
job evaluation process a new broad band grade structure was adopted for all posts
below middle managers (spinal column points scps 4-34). With effect from 1st April
2002, incremental pay progression for these staff was linked to performance
(meeting objectives and demonstrating competencies). Measures from the Essex
Competency Framework were developed for this scp range and the Essex
Competency Dictionary was introduced.
27 - Competency Dictionary

Monitoring and evaluation


It is important to stress that the competency approach is evolving and there is a constant
need to evaluate the competencies and the work connected with them to ensure they link
to the organisational changes and government drivers.
Each year HR agrees a strategy to audit, measure and develop our work on competencies
in line with regional and national guidance.

16

Essex Competency Toolkit

Future developments
The National Core Competency Framework (Employers
Organisation)
Essex County Council is a partner in the National Skills Competency Framework being
developed by the Employers Organisation.
28 - Employers Organisation

e-Competencies (ODPM)
Essex County Council [via our Society Of Chief Personnel Officers (SOCPO) links] is
represented on the national group looking at the e-government competencies. Essex will
be working with the ODPM on aligning the suggested e-competencies with our
competency framework as part of a diagnostic toolkit.
29 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

e-Government agenda
In line with the e-government agenda, all guidance and support will be e-enabled where
possible.

Child Protection
Work is progressing at national and local levels on specific child protection competencies
and how these relate to generic competency frameworks. Within the Council Child
Protection accountabilities have been included in relevant job profiles.

Implementing a competency approach


It is important to consider how best to implement the competency approach in your
organisation - whether to adopt an organisational development model including
recruitment through to development or whether to consider one element such as
recruitment and selection as a starting point with a planned approach. Clearly starting

17

Essex Competency Toolkit

points may vary, for example Essex County Council already had a performance
management review scheme in place.
The implementation of the Essex Competency Framework at Essex County Council
commenced in 2000 and the attached presentation outlines the work undertaken since this
time to develop competencies in recruitment, performance management, and staff
development.
30 - Presentation Implementing the Essex Competency Framework

The key features of successful implementation are:

set the organisational context

agree the components of the competency package

detail the competency framework

buy-in from the top / senior management commitment

start with a pilot learn from this experience and monitor and evaluate

engage the workforce

agree process and essential documentation

conduct essential training and communication at every level

monitor, review and evaluate after first cycle formal audit if necessary

develop ongoing action plans emphasising a structured approach and continuous


evaluation

provide on-going support and advice available in various formats

31 - Implementing Competencies at Uttlesford

Links with East of England Regional


Assembly and Employers Organisation
The work at Essex County Council is regarded as part of best practice and national and
regional monies have been made available to help other organisations in Essex to develop

18

Essex Competency Toolkit

the use of the Essex Competency Framework in a wider setting which will support future
partnership working. This would mean that any future development of the Essex
Competency Framework would be across Essex.
32 East of England Regional Assembly

Support on competencies

Consultancy The Essex Strategic HR Partnership is being supported by ODPM


Capacity Building funding nationally and regionally to undertake consultancy work with
Essex districts/unitary/borough councils on competency development.

If you need any information on the toolkit or need help, support or advice in
implementing a competency approach in your council please contact
Essex County Council PMR Helpdesk
01245 430254 or Ednet 20254
Email: PMR.Helpdesk@essexcc.gov.uk

A spiral bound printed version of the Toolkit is available form Essex County Council by
emailing the PMR helpdesk above at a cost of 75.

What our employees think


From managers
Competencies provide a consistent approach to the measurement of
performance.
Its the glue that holds all of our HR strategy together which is integral to the
cultural change process.
They help us define how we should undertake our work.
In the current cultural change climate it is increasingly important for us to be
able to identify how we should undertake our roles, our Competency Framework
provides a consistent mechanism for us to do this.

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Essex Competency Toolkit

The Essex Competency Framework is at the heart of everything you do, it is


the glue to our HR Strategy.
The Competency review is working well for us because we do much of the
reviewing and decisions on evidence during Supervisions, so there is no
pressure.

From staff
It is the modern approach to recruitment.
Using the Competency Framework has ensured that members of my team
have a clear understanding of the skills.
Using competencies as part of the recruitment and selection process provides
a better focus when shortlisting and interviewing. This has been further helped
by the Guidance for Interview Questions
I think the PMR system is so much better now. I dont have to produce loads of
evidence. We just have to state where it can be found.
When I have my PMR we always have a copy of the Service Plan and Essex
Approach so I can be very sure that any training I do can be justified.
Whatever I ask for in the way of training, I get, provided it meets my objectives.
I am totally sure that the Council is committed to training me.

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