Recruitment, promotion and performance decisions are only as good as the yardstick used to make them. Without a shared, behaviour-based definition of what "good performance" looks like in a given role, HR decisions end up inconsistent and hard to defend — which is exactly the gap a competency framework is built to close.

This course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy shows participants how to build that shared language: measurable, observable, developable behavioural competencies that HR processes can be anchored to across recruitment, promotion, employee development, performance management and succession planning.

Because institutional development depends on having a common reference point for understanding performance, the course carries participants from the design of the framework itself through to embedding it in daily HR practice and keeping it relevant as the organisation changes.

• Individuals responsible for aligning people management processes with a competency-based approach.
• Specialists, team leaders, and business partners.
• HR professionals, training, and development staff.
• Managers, supervisors, and administrators.
• Graduates and those interested in this field.

Target Audience

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Build a competency framework from the ground up.
• Secure organisational support for a competency-based approach at every level.
• Explain what competencies are and why they matter to HR and to the organisation.
• Analyse the core components of competencies and the distinctions between them.
• Extract competencies from work plans to design a working framework.
• Apply competencies in recruitment, selection, training needs assessment, talent identification, succession planning and performance evaluation.

Module 1: Why Competency Frameworks Matter

• Enhancing performance and improving productivity through a shared behavioural standard.
• Facilitating recruitment and evaluation processes.
• Supporting leadership and talent development.

Module 2: Anatomy of a Framework — Concepts and Types

• The concept of competency, its components, and its relationship to organisational performance.
• General versus specific frameworks, and core versus technical competencies.
• Real examples of competency frameworks used across different organisations.

Module 3: Designing the Framework — From Goals to Structure

• Identifying institutional goals and needs before designing the framework.
• Job analysis and extracting the competencies required for each role.
• Structuring the framework and selecting competencies aligned with strategic objectives.

Module 4: Measuring Competencies and Closing Gaps

• Assessment tools including self-assessment questionnaires and direct observation.
• Analysing the gap between current and required competencies.
• Strategies for identifying development needs and using feedback to close them.

Module 5: Embedding Competencies in Recruitment

• Using the framework across recruitment processes.
• Designing competency-based interviews.
• Evaluating candidates against defined competencies.

Module 6: Using Competencies to Grow People and Manage Performance

• Designing training and development programmes around competency gaps.
• Defining performance standards and individual performance plans based on competencies.
• Measuring and analysing performance using the framework, and building a continuous-learning culture.

Module 7: Proving the Value — Evaluating Training Effectiveness

• Measuring the success of competency-based training programmes.
• Analysing results and the impact of training on performance.
• Improving programmes based on evaluation findings.

Module 8: Rolling It Out — Communication and Implementation

• Communicating the framework transparently to all stakeholders.
• Steps for implementing the framework across the organisation.
• Managing implementation challenges and securing senior management support.

Module 9: Making It Stick — Tracking, Culture and Sustainability

• Tracking the framework's success using performance indicators.
• Fostering a competency culture through collaboration and leadership support.
• Adapting the framework to market changes and periodic competency assessments.

Module 10: Review and Future Trends

• Reviewing and updating the framework based on stakeholder feedback.
• Emerging trends in competency management and the impact of technology.
• Preparing the organisation to adapt frameworks to future change.