ABILITY

Possibility of success in performing a task. It may be based on an innate capability, but also depends on pre-requisite conditions such as the degree of maturity, training, experience, etc. An ability has no intrinsic existence of its own: it only becomes manifest through concrete implementation.

BASIC VOCATIONAL SKILLS-LEVEL

Basic skills (knowledge, know-how, social skills) needed to carry out the tasks which go to make up a given occupation. These basic skills may subsequently be built on to enable the person concerned to acquire additional skills and thus become qualified for another vocational field (whether related or unrelated) via the mobilisation of all-rounder or transferable skills.

CAPABILITY

innate or acquired potentiality for doing something

KNOW-HOW

Technical skill and / or expertise, backed up by vocational experience, needed for a particular job.

KNOWLEDGE

Acquired via study or experience ( definition given by the Littrè dictionary)As applied to vocational training, the term covers knowledge in general and technological fields, as well as specific information (about a company or a type of equipment, for example) which is necessary to be able to carry out a particular job.

PERSONAL AND VOCATIONAL SKILLS ANALYSIS

In the French system, an initiative undertaken by an individual employee to have his personal and vocational skills analysed, together with his capabilities and motivation, with the aim of defining a career plan and, where relevant, a training plan; it calls upon various assessment methods(interviews, diagnoses, tests, simulation of work situations, etc.) In France, an employee’s entitlement to this sort of analysis was set up by the law passed on 31st December 1991, which also ensures the confidentiality of results and their sole restitution to the person concerned.

SELF-STUDY

Particular periods of study within a course of training, during which the trainee is provided with appropriate resources (multimedia learning materials and access to on-site or remote trainer) to work alone or in a small group. Self-study includes provision for (self)-assessmen of attainment and monitoring of progress. It can take place in a variety of locations: home, company, training centre or resource centre. ( not the same as “self taught”)

SKILL, COMPETENCE

A sum of abilities to solve a problem in a given vocational context; it may be general/basic/transferable (all-rounder) or specific to a particular job; it is made up of knowledge, know-how and social skills. It is the result of the talents implemented by an employee or by a tea (individual or collective skill).

SOCIAL SKILLS

The types of behaviour and attitude whereby an individual shows how he acts and reacts with respect to other people and situations.