Abstract:
Competency-based training continues to be a major underpinning element in the various
VET policies developedby the Australian federal government. This is despite evidence that
competency-based traming is not achieving desired goals of increased skill levels and
productivity and the failure to evaluate the effectiveness of a policy that has now been implemented
for approximately a decade. To date there has been little research reported on the
adoption of competency-based training by business and industry. This somewhat perplexing
since this group was seen to be a likely major beneficiary from the implementation of competency-
based training. This paper reports on a small scale study which surveyed HRD professionals
enrolled in the Bachelor of Education in Adult Education degree at UTS Respondents were
asked to report on the general adoption of competency-based training by their organisation and
ways in which competency-based training was or was not used there. Conclusions are drawn
from results of the survey and recommendations are made for a larger scale replication.
