Canadian Workforce Development Information
Posted on 19. Jul, 2009 by admin in Policy Perspective
Hello Phil Ward,
I received your email to CanadianNetwork@ccsa.ca because I’m the National Priority Advisor focused on workforce development. Your paper does not identify your credentials – what makes you qualified to address the issues – nor have you listed the references you used in writing this paper. With such items missing, the credibility of your paper may be reduced. Nevertheless, your paper raises good points.
It appears that you’re not familiar with the CCSA 2007 report entitled “Core Competencies for Canada’s Substance Abuse Field, version 1.” It identifies the most essential technical competencies for the substance abuse workforce and details four levels of proficiency for each competency. Note that this is version 1 of what CCSA considers to be a dynamic, fluid document; it will change in version 2, which we expect to have available by 2010.
“Core Competencies for Canada’s Substance Abuse Field” is available at www.cnsaap.ca; however, I’ve attached it for your perusal. CCSA also examined social work programs in Canada to identify how many of them already discuss the core technical competencies. This report, “An Examination of Substance Abuse Core Competencies in Academic Curriculum: The Social Work Example” discusses the research findings. It’s also available at the same website.
I’m delighted to tell you CCSA has also completed research on the core behavioural competencies. It will be version 1, for the same reason as for the technical competencies and available in the fall of 2009. CCSA consulted with the workforce across Canada in 11 focus groups in March 2009 to clarify the core behavioural competencies and to create a profile of 7 occupational clusters. For each cluster, we have created a list of necessary competencies and the appropriate level of proficiency in each competency. .
Given the difficulty organizations can experience in using behavioural competencies effectively, CCSA also created an guide for competency-based interviewing and an interview tool for each of the 7 occupational clusters. Further, CCSA has created a guide for performance management and a performance management tool for each of the 7 occupational clusters. These documents will also be available in the fall of 2009. Watch www.cnsaap.ca for the news.
If you do not already receive the CCSA newsletter “Network News,” I encourage you to subscribe. You can do so at www.cnsaap.ca. The research we have been conducting on competencies is discussed in this quarterly newsletter, along with other points of interest for the substance abuse workforce. Also, you can access the published reports at cnsaap.ca. Other CCSA reports are available at www.ccsa.ca.
Elva Keip
National Priority Advisor / Conseillère, Priorités nationales
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse /
Centre canadien de lutte contre l’alcoolisme et les toxicomanies
75 Albert Street, Suite 500 / 75, rue Albert, bureau 500
Ottawa, (Ontario) K1P 5E7
Tel / Tél: 613-235-4048 x288
Fax / Téléc: 613-235-8101
Email / courriel: ekeip@ccsa.ca
www.ccsa.ca
www.cnsaap.ca
