Competencies

What is a competency?

Competencies are the knowledge, skills, behaviours or personal attributes that it takes to successfully perform the duties of a job. They should be directly aligned to the job description and management's expectations. The Government of Saskatchewan has two competency models:

• Leadership Management Competency Model
• SGEU In-Scope Competency Model

Competencies are the foundation in acquiring, engaging, and growing talent throughout the employee life cycle in the Government of Saskatchewan.

We use competencies as a measure to determine who we hire, how well an employee performs, and what strengths and development opportunities an employee requires in order to master new skills and move into new roles.

Selecting competencies

Competencies are directly linked to a position's job description. The primary responsibilities and information throughout the job description will help identify which competencies are appropriate for the job. Here is an example of how to identify competencies using a job description.

For Out-of-Scope positions, please refer to the Leadership and Management Competency Model to identify and select the appropriate competencies and competency statements. Competency Profiles are available for Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister, Executive Director as well as Directors and Managers (Middle Manager Excellence).

For SGEU In-Scope positions, SGEU Competency profiles are available for several occupations to help identify and select the appropriate competency statements. If you are unable to find a competency profile for a specific occupation, please refer to the SGEU Competency Definitions.

Whether you are using the Leadership and Management competencies or the SGEU competencies, most positions require at least one competency statement for each applicable competency. For example:

Existing statements can be adapted or combined to suit the needs of the job. In addition to the skill, behavioural or personal attribute competencies, many jobs have position-specific knowledge requirements that may not be included in the competency profile.

What are "bring" and "learn" competency statements?

"Bring" competency statements are the knowledge, skills, behaviours or personal attributes an employee needs on day one in their new job.

"Learn" competency statements are expected to be learned or developed during an employee's probationary period and are not assessed as requirements within the staffing process. They are also further developed throughout an employee's career, and they support work planning, succession management, and career management.

How are competencies used throughout the employee life cycle? 

Competencies are used as the foundation to:

• "Acquire" employees (Recruitment and Staffing);
• "Engage" employees (Probation and Work Planning); and
• "Grow" employees (Succession Planning and Career Management).

We use competencies as a measure to determine who we hire, how well an employee performs, and what strengths and development opportunities an employee requires in order to master new skill sets and move into new roles.

Acquire

Recruitment and Staffing

"Bring" competencies are used throughout the entire recruitment and staffing process, from job ads to screening questions, exercises and interview guides to reference checks. See hire an employee for more information on recruitment and staffing.

Engage

Probation

Competencies are used throughout the onboarding and probationary period to guide the development, demonstration and assessment of an employee's performance in the position. Both "Bring" and "Learn" competencies for the position will inform these conversations. See probationary period for more information on in-scope and out-of-scope probationary period.

Work planning
Employee work planning is an opportunity for an employee to have a conversation with their manager about the employee's work objectives, competency objectives, learning and development objectives, and career path.

The conversation includes:

• The competencies needed to achieve the current work objectives;
• A comparison of the competencies an employee has and the competencies an employee needs to develop to achieve the work objectives; and
• The competencies an employee wants to develop for future career goals.