ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- The Office of Civilian Human Resources (OCHR) and Navy Civilian Community Management (CCM) are partnering to identify Navy civilian employees' competencies, with CCM collecting the data and performing the analysis needed to identify competencies for each of the 21 civilian communities within the Navy.

A key to understanding the Navy's capabilities is knowing what competencies civilians have, said Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Civilian Human Resources Patricia Adams.

Competencies are observable, measurable patterns of skills, knowledge, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics that an individual needs to perform work roles or occupational functions successfully. An example of a competency is Data Analysis. Clustered in that competency would be the tasks, knowledge, tools, skills, and abilities an employee must use or possess to "own" that competency.

"Competencies, to me, are the building blocks for knowledge management within an organization," said Adams. "Competencies help us move away from merely being production-oriented to managing knowledge, to understanding our intellectual capacities."

CCM's corporate partner, SkillsNET® Corporation, provides technical expertise to help the Navy collect data it needs to identify competencies by surveying the experts - the civilians who do the work. Navy civilians were asked about the tasks they do, and the knowledge, tools, resources, skills, and abilities they need to do their jobs. SkillsNET also helps define how the competencies are developed.

CCM will use the competencies to construct 5 Vector Models (5VM), which will function as a career roadmap for Navy civilians.

"The models will provide civilians an understanding of the skills and capabilities that they need to demonstrate to be competitive for the next position. Additionally, the 5VM will provide a connection to a road map on how to acquire the necessary skills to move forward," said CCM Director Liz Persell. "They'll know what professional and leadership experiences they need, what education and training, and what certifications and qualifications."

Adams said that she knew there was a lot of talent within the Navy civilian workforce, but it had never been defined across the Navy in any systematic way. Identifying civilian competencies is a "first" for the Navy.

"This is a great opportunity to provide a system of learning and development for our civilians," she said.

Competencies will be used by OCHR to help with recruiting to hire the person with the right experiences, skills and knowledge for a position. Identifying competencies will also aid the Navy as it segues into the National Security Personnel System.

"We'll be able to leverage competencies to organize the Navy's NSPS structure, as well as define career development," said Adams. "We'll be able to link this information to the NSPS pay bands."

Pay bands encompass career groups that combine occupations and positions that are similar in terms of type of work, mission, career paths, and competencies.

For related news, visit the Civilian Community Management Navy News Stand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/ccm/.