Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A)
Judged on what you can do, against standards written by the industries that employ you.
What CBT&A Is
Competency Based Training and Assessment measures what you can actually do, against standards written by the industries that employ you. It is not marked on a curve and it is not a comparison with other candidates: either you can perform the task to the standard, or you cannot yet.
Three ways in, one standard
However you learned the trade, you are assessed against the same national competency standards.
Formal
Institution-based training and formal apprenticeship at a registered institute.
Non-formal
Short courses and training run by an industry or enterprise, covering work skills and life skills.
Informal
The Ustad-Shagird system, self-learning and self-employment. Learning without a certificate is still learning.
What Is Assessed
Every assessment looks at three things, not one.
Knowledge
What you understand about the trade — materials, tools, safety, why a job is done a particular way.
Skill
What you can do with your hands, observed by an assessor while you do it. This carries the heaviest weight.
Attitude
How you work — safely, on time, with care for tools and materials, and alongside other people.
You must reach at least a satisfactory level in all three. Strong knowledge and skill cannot make up for an unsatisfactory attitude — unsatisfactory in any one of the three means Not Yet Competent.
The Two Assessments
One helps you improve. The other decides your certificate.
Formative assessment
- When:
- During your training
- Assessed by:
- Your own instructor
Held at the end of each module by your instructor, to find what still needs work. You are given constructive feedback — what went well and where to improve — and the result is recorded for each module.
Integrated assessment
- When:
- At the end of the course
- Assessed by:
- An external certified assessor
The final assessment, conducted by a certified assessor who does not teach you, on a date the Board schedules. A representative of the industry may attend as an observer. This is the assessment that decides your certificate.
How You Are Graded
The weightings are published so you know where to put your effort.
| Component | Judged competent when | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge test | 60% and above | 40% |
| Practical observation | Every criterion marked critical must be met in full | 50% |
| Portfolio | Verified as the candidate's own work | 10% |
Note the practical row: every criterion marked critical must be met in full — there is no partial credit on those. No assessor may take more than 25 candidates in a single day, so that each one is properly observed.
What You Receive
Two awards are possible, and neither of them is nothing. Turn a card for the detail.
Certificate
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Certificate
Issued where you are declared competent in the full qualification. It carries a number anyone can verify, and can be re-issued in writing if it is lost or needs a correction.Record of Achievement
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Record of Achievement
Issued where you are competent in some competency standards but not the full qualification. It lists exactly what you have proven, so you can return later for the rest without repeating what you have already passed.
If You Are Not Yet Competent
“Not Yet Competent” is a stage, not a verdict. These are your entitlements.
Re-assessment without repeating the course
If you are judged Not Yet Competent you may sit the assessment again without going through the training again. More practice may be recommended to you — it cannot be made a condition.
At the next scheduled assessment
Re-assessment is taken in the next assessment schedule notified by the Board or your assessment centre.
The assessment fee applies again
Re-assessment is charged as a fresh assessment. Stated plainly here so it is not a surprise on the day.
Right of appeal — seven days
You may appeal against misconduct or irregularity in an assessment within seven days, supported by evidence. Appeals are decided and communicated to you, normally within two to four weeks.
How Assessment Quality Is Assured
Every assessment is moderated against five principles, so a result does not depend on which assessor you happened to get.
- 1
Sufficiency
Enough evidence that the candidate met every requirement, and can repeat the performance consistently.
- 2
Validity
Evidence that actually matches the competency standard being assessed, not something adjacent to it.
- 3
Reliability
Evidence that would produce the same result if the assessment were repeated in the same conditions.
- 4
Fairness
Evidence gathered regardless of working environment, language barrier, poor instructions or special needs.
- 5
Consistency
Evidence on which different assessors would reach the same decision, at different times and on different occasions.
Search CBT&A Qualifications
All 415 competency-based qualifications the Board examines. Search by name, code or job role, and filter by level.
Start typing, or choose a filter, to search the catalogue.
Codes, names and qualification levels are set nationally and are reproduced here exactly. The Board does not alter them.
Want to deliver these qualifications?
Institutes affiliated with the Board may enrol candidates on competency-based programmes and present them for assessment.