Unpacking units of competency

Students in the TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment course will unpack at least two units of competency before they develop training programs for them. Usually, unpacking a unit of competency requires:

• Interpretation
• Contextualisation
• Reconstruction.

Annotating the unit

By actively annotating the unit of competency and assessment requirements, you unpack the unit, effectively reading and analysing it to determine the content for a competency-based training program.

Competency-based training is training based on the competency, and competency is described by the unit of competency and assessment requirements.

Unpacking the unit of competency will identify:

• Task or tasks to be performed
• Knowledge required to perform the task or tasks
• Skills required to perform the task or tasks.

The annotated unit is a disposable document

The annotated unit of competency and assessment requirements is a disposable document. It can be disposed of after the training program has been developed. And it does not matter if anyone else can read your annotations. It is your document for you to identify and understand the content of the training program.

The process of unpacking a unit to what’s important, not the document resulting from the ‘unpacking process’. 

Annotation techniques

Unpacking can be done using:

• Pen on paper
• On the computer using the Word version of the complete unit of competency and assessment requirements.

The annotation techniques that can be used include:

• Write text
• Use colours
• Use highlighting
• Use arrows, circles or other shapes
• Give numbers to foundation skills (FS), performance evidence (PE), and knowledge evidence (KE)
• Make connections.

Every unit of competency is unique

There are different types of units:

• Some units are procedural and clearly describe the performance of a task
• Some units are procedural and relate to the performance of more than one task
• Some units are not procedural but do relate to the performance of one or more tasks
• Some units relate to learning a skill and do not directly relate to performance of a task
• Some units relate to learning knowledge and do not directly relate to the performance of a task
• Some units are vague and attempt to describe interpersonal and behavioural traits.

We should expect all units to be unique. And we should expect all units to be ambiguous, and this will require us to interpret and contextualise the unit.

Unfortunately, we can expect some units to have been badly written.

This article has been published as an introduction to how to unpack a unit of competency. Additional information shall be published and linked to this article.

Please contact me, Alan Maguire on 0493 065 396, if you need to learn how to unpack a unit of competency.

Do you need help with your TAE studies?

Are you a doing the TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, and are you struggling with your studies? Do you want help with your TAE studies?

Ring Alan Maguire on 0493 065 396 to discuss.

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Training trainers since 1986