National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 66 | December 2003


Competency-based Training

(Left to right) Course participants Grace Brown, Siew Eng Lee, Panga lem, Jenny Kena (course facilitator) and Peter Cobcroft, at the graduation
(Left to right) Course participants Grace Brown, Siew Eng Lee, Panga lem, Jenny Kena (course facilitator) and Peter Cobcroft, at the graduation

One critical factor in providing excellent customer service is to have well-trained people. The management of Document Supply is committed to staff training and development. With the support of the Library, five staff members in Document Supply who are experienced with their work but have not had any formal studies in librarianship have undertaken and completed a competency-based training program. They have been awarded Certificate II and Certificate III in Library and Information Services, which is recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Through the year-long course and with the help of the course facilitator and their supervisors, the staff members documented the knowledge, experience and skills they have gained through their work and were assessed against the course criteria. They had to build their skills in areas of less experience by working in those areas for a required period of time.

A Snap Shot of the Last 30 Years in Document Supply display

Above: A Snap Shot of the Last 30 Years in Document Supply display

Below: SUPPLY 1 Service display

SUPPLY 1 Service display

As part of the course, they prepared two displays, ‘A Snap Shot of 30 Years in Document Supply’ and ‘SUPPLY 1 Service’, which were shown to their colleagues and the delegates of the IFLA ILDS Conference during a tour of Document Supply.

The course participants offered the following comments :

  • ‘I found the program to be challenging but rewarding. The steps to gaining the certificate were structured so that I could learn new tasks and relevant skills at work while not having to relearn the skills I already had. It was a great way to gain a certificate that is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework.’
  • ‘I think my qualification in Certificate II in Library and Information Services is good it  is recognised Australia wide.’
  • ‘The course was difficult for me but I learnt a lot.’
  • ‘The course helped me to build confidence in myself.’

“While occasionally it proved to be difficult to manage both the course and work at the same time, it proved itself to be worthwhile: Actual written validation of the skills I had acquired up until now during my working life has taken a load off my mind. It will be invaluable for library related work in future, including applications and interviews.”
Anne Xu

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Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: mbrooks@nla.gov.au