Original article on AllesoverHR
People who perform specific tasks need the right competencies. Certificates are how we demonstrate that employees have those skills after completing a course or training. But how accurately do certificates reflect whether someone is truly competent? In my view they only capture a moment in time and reveal little about day-to-day capability. That has to change. In this article I explain why and describe how we ensure employees always have the required knowledge ready to go.
Errors and physical incidents
Recent Drillster research tells a clear story: in many organisations (73%) mistakes occur because employees lack the knowledge they need in the moment. At two in five organisations (21%) those mistakes even lead to physical incidents. That can happen when employees are unsure how to complete a task or follow procedures. Thirteen percent face this once or twice a month, six percent every week, and four percent every day. Part of me is still surprised by those numbers. At the same time it is not shocking. Certificates can create a checkbox culture. The focus shifts to ticking boxes that confirm the right certificates are in place, rather than genuinely equipping employees with up-to-date competencies. Employees say that one in three organisations operates within such a checkbox culture. Certificates also carry limited value. Because they capture a single moment, only the knowledge and competencies at that time are tested. Knowledge fades quickly, so the certificate does not guarantee competence in practice. Legislation, work instructions, and protocols also change, which can make acquired knowledge outdated just as fast.
Attendance is enough
As if that were not already concerning, there is another factor that widens the gap between certified and competent. Almost half (48%) of employees indicate that simply being physically or virtually present during training is sufficient to receive a certificate. Whether they participate actively and actually learn the competencies does not matter. Nearly a quarter (23%) also say the course content they see is based on outdated information.
Unconscious incompetence
It is troubling that certificates say so little about competence, but it is even riskier that employees often fail to recognise it. Only a small group (16%) admits they are not competent enough. There is a clear gap between being certified and being truly capable, yet many employees are unaware of it. That means the problem perpetuates itself and mistakes keep happening. There is serious work to do to ensure people always have the right competencies. In critical professions such as healthcare or education mistakes cannot and must not happen—certainly not when they could cause harm. It is time to shift focus away from certificates and toward what really counts: competence.
Keeping critical knowledge available
So how do we make sure employees always have the right knowledge and competencies? It starts by letting go of the idea that one-off—and often sub-par—courses and certificates can guarantee competence. Instead we must gain and retain competencies differently. Regular exposure to essential knowledge and practice is the most important requirement. Not once, not sporadically, but continuously, with updates applied immediately. That approach keeps knowledge and competencies current and stores them in long-term memory. Employees become both certified and competent because they can act in line with procedures at any moment. That is what practical competence is all about. It also translates into fewer mistakes and incidents in the workplace. Do not forget the behavioural aspect: when people have followed the same routine for years without realising it is incorrect, they need to build new habits that apply knowledge correctly. When knowledge, skills, and mindset stay aligned, behaviour changes for good—and the number of workplace errors drops dramatically.
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