The Spotlight Skills Recognition tool helps focus on the skills that job holders can build on in carrying out individual and group activities. The tool provides a better understanding of the skills used in service work that can be overlooked or taken for granted, especially skills used in interacting and relating, coordinating and shaping awareness.
Types of skills which are often overlooked are the skills of combining activities in work streams and those involved in the sensitive, responsive, and integrated delivery of appropriate services to people.
The classification framework consists of:
- Three sets of skills (shaping awareness, interacting/relating and coordinating)
- Five learning-based levels of each skill (from familiarisation through problem-solving, to expert system-shaping).
A list of work activities shows the use of each skill element at each level. Selected activity examples can be used to help pinpoint the skills required in specific jobs, or be included in position descriptions.
The framework makes concepts such as ‘problem-solving’, ‘communication skills’ and ‘time management’ more precise, and gives a way of naming different levels of the skills that are the basis of effective work performance.
The Spotlight Skills Recognition tool has been developed to be used by managers in writing job descriptions, recruitment and selection, and performance management and development.
It consists of five Spotlight skills tools:
- Identification tool: Part 1. Introduction for managers [PDF 595KB] – Skills recognition tool user guide.
- Identification tool: Part 2. Adding value to job descriptions [PDF 282KB] – Skills recognition tool user guide.
- Identification tool: Part 3. Adding value to recruitment and selection [PDF 181KB] – Skills recognition tool user guide
- Identification tool: Part 4. Managing performance and careers [PDF 663KB] – Skills recognition tool user guide
- Recognition tool: Background research report [PDF 1.3MB] – Research report that provides the background to the Spotlight skills recognition tool
Tools and Resources
Spotlight skills identification tool: Part 1. Introduction for managers - PDF 595KB
Skills recognition tool user guide.
Spotlight skills identification tool: Part 2. Adding value to job descriptions - PDF 282KB
Skills recognition tool user guide.
Spotlight skills identification tool: Part 3. Adding value to recruitment and selection - PDF 181KB
Skills recognition tool user guide.
Spotlight skills identification tool: Part 4. Managing performance and careers - PDF 663KB
Skills recognition tool user guide.