15th June 2011, 07:17 PM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:I think maybe there should be a basic competence which perhaps could be 'signed off' by a responsible adult, but thereafter many of the criteria will be based upon experience and aptitude and probably at the end of the day would be self-assessed, which of course lays the scheme open to probably unfair criticism. I can see how the system would work if someone was in regular employment, but am not sure how it would work if someone mixed irregular employment with self-employment and/or career breaks for various reasons.
In many ways the Skills Passport would duplicate the IFA levels of competence (where the basic level would equate to PIFA and higher levels to AIFA and MIFA). I am guessing that anyone who had applied to and received peer recognition for their skills level through IFA membership would automatically gain a 'fully operative' Skills Passport.....otherwise it seems unlikely that the IFA would support the scheme...and then once again the scheme would be open to the criticism currently levelled at some IFA members (i.e they only attained their grading through colleagues, friends and relatives).... So to that extent it is a conundrum wrapped in a riddle etc etc
I don’t think this would be completely the case. I don’t see IFA grades as levels of competence per se. I would agree with competence in meeting certain criteria, but to reiterate a “red” herring along with the subsequent comments on the matter. As for the IFA grades being peer reviewed, I struggle with this assertion. Hypothetically-A MIFA level curator with little or no field experience a peer?
A transparent selection of a pool of individuals representative of the professional spectrum might garner support.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.