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DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSES[A1]
Background
The first National Conference on Apprenticeship in Trades and Industries, held in Ottawa in 1952, recommended that the federal government be requested to cooperate with provincial and territorial apprenticeship committees and officials in preparing analyses of a number of skilled occupations. To this end, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) sponsors a program, under the guidance of the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA), to develop a series of national occupational analyses.
The National Occupational Analyses have the following objectives:
- to identify and group the tasks performed by skilled workers in particular occupations;
- to identify those tasks that are performed by skilled workers in every province and territory;
- to develop instruments for use in the preparation of interprovincial standards Red Seal examinations and curricula for training leading to the certification of skilled workers;
- to facilitate the mobility, in Canada, of apprentices and skilled workers; and
- to supply employers and employees, and their associations, industries, training institutions and governments with analyses of the tasks performed in particular occupations.
How is an analysis developed?
Development of Analysis
A draft analysis is developed by a committee of industry experts in the field led by a team of facilitators from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. This draft analysis breaks down all the tasks performed in the occupation by apprentices, tradespersons and journeypersons and describes the knowledge and abilities required for a tradesperson to demonstrate competence in the trade.
Draft Review
The National Occupational Analysis (NOA) development team then forwards a copy of the analysis and its translation to provincial and territorial authorities for a review of its content and structure. Their recommendations are assessed and incorporated into the analysis.
Validation and Weighting
The analysis is sent to all provinces and territories for validation and weighting. Participating jurisdictions consult with industry to validate and weight the document, examining the blocks, tasks and sub-tasks of the analysis as follows:
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BLOCKS |
Each jurisdiction assigns a percentage of questions to each block for an examination that would cover the entire trade. |
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TASKS |
Each jurisdiction assigns a percentage of exam questions to each task within a block. |
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SUB-TASKS |
Each jurisdiction indicates, with a YES or NO, whether or not each sub-task is performed by skilled workers within the occupation in its jurisdiction. |
The results of this exercise are submitted to the NOA development team who then analyzes the data and incorporates it into the document. The NOA provides the individual jurisdictional validation results as well as the national averages of all responses. The national averages for block and task weighting guide the Interprovincial Red Seal Examination plan for the trade.
This method for the validation of the NOA also identifies common core sub-tasks across Canada for the occupation. If at least 70% of the responding jurisdictions perform a sub-task, it shall be considered common core. Interprovincial Red Seal Examinations are based on the common core sub-tasks identified through this validation process.
How is the analysis structured?
To facilitate understanding of the nature of the occupation, the work performed is divided into the following categories:
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A. Block |
the largest division within the analysis that is comprised of a distinct set of trade activities |
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B. Task |
distinct actions that, describe the activities within a block |
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C. Sub-Task |
distinct actions that, describe the activities within a task |
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D. Supporting or Key Competencies |
skills and knowledge that an individual must have to perform the sub-task.
activities that a person should be able to do in order to be called competent in the trade |
Trends
changes identified that impact or will impact the trade including work practices, technological advances, and new materials and equipment
