As the administrator of an institution that offers a trade program, it’s vital to ensure it covers all the important groundwork of the careers students could pursue after completing their course. As the demand for these jobs grows, it’s increasingly valuable for trade programs to include hands-on skills and competency assessments to ensure the program’s offerings are on par with industry demands and standards.
Take, for example, the McKinsey study about the demand for critical skilled roles, such as electricians, welders, and construction laborers. Based on these findings, the annual hiring from 2022 to 2032 will likely be 20 times more than the projected annual increase in net new jobs.
Moreover, data from the Global Skills Week conference shows that most companies are looking for skills like analytical thinking, resilience, creativity, learning independence, and complex problem-solving in applicants. To help enhance your institution’s impact, explore the importance of technical education tracking, strategies for tracking skills development, and best practices for implementing effective skills tracking systems.
If you’re looking for ways to enrich your trade program’s skill development capabilities, you are part of the larger and more informed group with a growing interest in skills- and competency-based learning. According to a report by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), 86 percent of higher education faculty and staff agree that institutions should design academic programs to build specific skills.
Even so, only 22 percent of participants said their institutions actually incorporated a campus-wide competency-based framework. While skills-based initiatives are more prominent across community and technical colleges, some four-year colleges are also taking an interest in the initiative.
This information tells us that by tracking and improving skills development in your trade programs now, you may gain a competitive edge over other institutions that do not already implement these measures. This advantage is just one of the many benefits of tracking skills development:
Consider using some of these skills development tracking strategies to effectively monitor student progress.
Incorporate hands-on projects, simulations, and demonstrations to assess student skills. The institution should design these projects in a way that allows students to apply their knowledge and skills based on what they’ve learned. To effectively evaluate student performance against industry standards, develop rubrics that outline the standards they should meet for success.
Create assessments, tests, and quizzes for students to complete throughout the year and add to their portfolios. A portfolio of their work will showcase their skills, growth, and accomplishments over the months. This method helps you track and evaluate student learning progress.
Observe your students as they perform tasks, and provide feedback based on their performance. Feedback ensures students always understand what to do to get where they should be. Incorporate an observation checklist with criteria for success that enables you to accurately document skill development and provide feedback.
Competency mapping is a method in which you map student progress across different areas of the program. It involves creating a skills checklist to track student mastery of specific skills and competencies. Set competencies for specific trade roles based on job requirements and industry standards. You can then map out the course content and activities that will help students develop the skills needed for their role.
Consider using assessment software for higher education institutions. These platforms make it easier to track student progress in real time and manage assessment data. They reveal where students need assistance, allowing faculty members to provide students with more specific, tailored feedback and support.
To consistently improve your skills tracking system over time, implement these four best practices.
Have a skills tracking system, such as assessment software, that you consistently use across trade programs. This system should accurately define key performance indicators (KPIs) that are measurable and achievable. Use the skills tracking data to inform curriculum development, instructional decisions, and student support services. Regularly review and update the skills tracking system to ensure its effectiveness and relevancy to the latest industry standards.
Do many students consistently receive low scores? Are you noticing a pattern where multiple students lack understanding of a particular concept? If so, your course material or teaching methods may need improvement. Reevaluate curriculum content and make adjustments to ensure it aligns with the desired student outcomes and skills development. Analyze skills tracking data to identify gaps in the curriculum.
Offer training sessions for faculty members and staff on how to use the institution’s skills tracking system correctly. When users are well-versed in the system, they can use it efficiently and effectively for realistic objectives and outcomes. Ensure they understand how to evaluate learning assessment metrics and what to do when they want to adjust strategies. Provide faculty with ongoing support and technical assistance if ever they need it.
Some higher education assessment software may provide insights about where students need assistance and possible solutions. Some tools also offer proactive support with early alerts that inform users when a student needs assistance getting back on track. Communicate with these students through surveys or discussions to understand their needs and address their concerns. You can do this by adjusting teaching methods or referring them to an additional help program.
Implementing an effective technical education tracking system is a great way to improve the quality of your institution’s trade program. Watermark Assessment Projects is a software solution that can help you improve assessment practices and drive institutional growth. Our solutions track learning outcomes, allow you to apply rubric-based assessment, analyze results, and enable you to make data-driven decisions.
To enhance your skills tracking system, request a demo with Watermark today.
