Build an effective skills and professions repository in just 6 steps

A competency framework is a list of competencies drawn up in line with an organisation's strategic issues. This is not an apprenticeship or a school course where a teacher acts as a pupil's adviser, but rather the establishment of an essential HR tool, a mine of information that contributes to a company's success.

As a human resources professional or manager, you have this tool at your disposal to manage the careers, talents and strategic skills of your company or team, in order to achieve your performance objectives.

What exactly is the purpose of a skills repository? And how do you build it? This article will guide you through the process, so that this support contributes to optimal management of your human capital.

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What is a competency framework?

Definition of a skills framework

The skills framework is an exhaustive, descriptive list of the skills required by a company. In the form of a table, it sets out all the skills required to perform each job in an organisation, together with the degree of proficiency expected.

Also known as a business and skills repository, it provides a common basis for all members of an organisation. Using language shared by all, it provides benchmarks in a demanding and constantly changing professional context, and harmonises HR and managerial practices.

This tool provides a global and detailed vision of the skills required at the level of :

• a job or family of jobs,
• a function
• department, etc.

In this way, it identifies all the issues in terms of knowledge, personal qualities and know-how required to excel in the performance of one's duties and meet the company's strategic needs.

Competency framework: example

To take an example, here is an extract from a skills reference framework for an operational manager:

Differentiation between skills repository and skills map

Although these two terms are similar, the skills repository and the skills map differ. A skills repository is different from a skills map, which is a fixed snapshot of all the skills held by a company's employees at a given time.

This visual and evolving representation can be created on the basis of a business and skills repository and must be kept up to date. These two tools are by no means equivalent, but complementary.

Why build a skills framework?

When should a skills framework be used?

This document is generally used as a preliminary step to launching a forward-looking approach to jobs and skills management (GPEC ). In this context, it is a key tool for :

• listing and identifying the skills required for the efficient operation of a business, department or company ;
• assessing the gaps between the skills required and those actually mastered by employees.

This skills management tool can be used as a basis for creating an action plan to steer the organisation's human resources, as well as an operational guide for managers supervising a team.

What are the different objectives of a skills framework?

The main objective of the skills repository is to match the skills required with those of employees, in order to adapt them to the needs of the company's overall strategy, both in the short and long term.

Among its various uses, the reference framework is used to :

• draw up a training plan to bridge the gap between the skills available and those required to succeed ;
• anticipate professional training needs
• draw up job descriptions;
• manage talent and staff rotation to limit staff turnover;
• managing opportunities for internal mobility and promotion;
• calculating remuneration ;
• certifying employees' progress, validating their mastery of key skills to succeed in their assignments, during the annual interview; etc.

💡 When talking about the annual interview, bear in mind that this is an important exercise for HR, as it enables you toidentify, assess and develop key skills to meet the company's current and future needs.

Learn why you need to build a competency framework in just a few minutes with this video :

How do you build a skills reference framework?

Step 1: Set an objective

As with the launch of any project, you need to identify what you want from a skills repository:

• What is the document intended to be used for?
• How will the results be used?
• Who will use the skills framework and how?

This first stage provides a framework for the process and enables you to draw up a document that is useful, meets your expectations and is ultimately usable, because its content will be relevant to all its users.

Step 2: Define the scope

The questions asked beforehand will also serve as a guide to help you define the scope of your repository and determine the scale at which you will be working:

• that of a position
• a department
• a site
• a company, in the case of a small organisation?

It all depends on the use you have defined in your objectives. Bear in mind that the approach must remain realistic and relatively targeted so as not to become tedious or too complex to implement.

Step 3: Involve the people concerned

If you choose to carry out this process in project mode, you will need to set up a team or working group dedicated to its implementation.

This team may include HR staff, but also managers or any competent person involved in the operational side of the business. This will enable you to gather concrete and precise feedback on the tasks and positions under consideration.

Step 4: Draw up an inventory of skills

You can group them by activity or by area (organisational, interpersonal, managerial, technical, etc.). You can also classify them by category :

• knowledge: theoretical knowledge;
• know-how: operational practices in a specific field or job, and the level of mastery and experience expected;
• interpersonal skills: personal and interpersonal qualities, interpersonal and behavioural skills.

To ensure that your skills inventory is as representative as possible, structure it in a way that makes sense for your organisation, and be rigorous and clear in the vocabulary you use.

Step 5: Prioritise skills

Use gauges or a representation by levels to indicate the degree of mastery required for each skill listed.

These levels need to be discussed and validated beforehand, so that they can be used as a reference for constructing sound assessment indicators, and so that their attainment can be measured.

Stage 6: Formatting the document

Once these elements have been collected and defined by the team, the reference framework can be formalised in a table listing :

• all the skills
• the expectations for each level of proficiency
• and the level requirements for each.

Once formatted, the document can be submitted for validation.

💡 To ensure that this document is used wisely, make sure you share it with everyone concerned and communicate how to access it if necessary.

It can be stored in a shared document or a collaborative tool that can be accessed by anyone at any time.

Other main tasks are listed, such as "Developing and maintaining the team's skills" or "Supporting change", and each skill is graded according to 4 levels :

• beginner
• mastery
• confirmed,
• expert.

Bonus step: use a tool to set up a skills framework

The skills repository can be built directly in an HRIS or LMS (Learning Management System) application. This makes it more flexible and less time-consuming to maintain than an Excel file.

This agility is very welcome in a context where jobs change quickly and have to adapt to the growth of an organisation.

Many tools are available on the market to help you. ⚒️

360Learning

360Learning transforms skills management to help you become more competitive and reduce gaps in your teams through collaborative learning. How can it do this? The tool automates various processes:

• it generates lists of the skills required within the company to prepare the necessary training courses,
• it draws up evaluation grids
• and assesses the criticality of skills for each sector.

AI assistance reduces manual effort, allowing you to focus on innovation and strategic talent development. At the same time, optimising skills development prepares teams for future requirements.

Factorial

Factorial stands out for its rich functionality and ease of use. This comprehensive and innovative HRIS offers a skills and professions repository, useful for creating and managing a complete and personalised database within your company.

• You can easily associate these skills and professions with the different employees in the company, to create a precise map of skills and training needs.
• When an employee is recruited for this job, the administrator simply needs to assign the specific skills to this employee.

[FAQ] Skills reference framework: we answer your questions

What are the 4 types of skills?

Skills can be grouped into 4 main categories:

• behavioural
• cognitive
• technical
• sectoral.

Behavioural skills

These skills, also known as "interpersonal skills", refer to all the personal and relational qualities that enable you to adapt to different situations.

👉 For example: knowing how to express yourself clearly, working as part of a team, managing stress, etc.

Cognitive skills

These refer to the intellectual abilities that enable you to reason, analyse and learn.

👉 For example: solving problems, making decisions, analysing information objectively, etc.

Technical skills

These skills refer to your knowledge and know-how specific to a particular profession.

👉For example: for an IT job, this means mastering office software, surfing the Internet, analysing data, etc.

Sector-specific skills

These relate to all your knowledge and skills specific to a sector of activity.

👉 For example: in a particular sector, knowing the challenges and trends, standards and regulations, etc.

Where can I find a skills reference framework?

There are many resources available to help you find a skills reference framework that matches your needs. Here are a few tips to help you:

• Online resources are a mine of information. A large number of websites provide detailed information on the different professions and the skills required.
• Recruitment and training organisations. They often use skills reference frameworks, so don't hesitate to contact them so that they can share them with you.

👉 For example, the French government's official website provides a wealth of information about jobs and the skills required.

How can the effectiveness of a skills framework be measured once it has been put in place?

There are a number of indicators you can use to assess the effectiveness of your skills framework:

• The impact on employee performance, changes in productivity and the quality of their services.
• The level of use of the repository, the number of employees who refer to it, the number of training courses that have been given based on the repository.
• How satisfied your employees are with the relevance and usefulness of your skills framework.
• The impact of this framework on career development within your company, the number of promotions, job changes, etc.

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The essential HR tool for skills management

Designed primarily for operational use, the skills repository can be extended to cover more general HR practices. It makes it possible to establish a shared vision of the skills required for the success of a function, a business or a company, by setting requirements and challenges that are shared and understandable by all.

It facilitates and structures skills management at all levels, and will become a tool for success once its ultimate goal has been achieved: to establish the link between the skills base within the company and its overall strategy.

Have you implemented a skills repository within your organisation? What are the main uses for it?