The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials

There are 27 key competencies, categorized under five functional groups:

1. Assessment

1.1. Assess authenticity of a credential;
1.2. Assess accuracy of translation;
1.3. Assess status of an institution using precedents;
1.4. Assess status of an institution in the absence of relevant precedents;
1.5. Assess comparability of a foreign credential using precedents;
1.6. Assess comparability of a foreign credential in the absence of relevant precedents;
1.7. Describe educational programs (Optional competency).

2. Information management

2.1. Use databases;
2.2. Maintain records and statistics;
2.3. Analyze information from diverse sources;
2.4. Create resources for credential assessment (optional competency).

3. Communication

3.1. Communicate with client/applicant;
3.2. Communicate with other education, assessment, and credential professionals;
3.3. Communicate in English and/or French.

4. Professional competencies

4.1. Engage in professional and ethical practice;
4.2. Develop yourself;
4.3. Help others to develop;
4.4. Customer service.

5. Specialist competencies (all additional competencies)

5.1. Specialize in specific national education systems;
5.2. Specialize in specific occupational sectors;
5.3. Master additional languages;
5.4. Lead a team;
5.5. Manage others;
5.6. Lead the organization;
5.7. Lead the organization's quality assurance processes;
5.8. Develop assessment policy and strategy.

Furthermore, each of these 27 competency descriptions has detailed information on:
  • reference levels – qualification(s) required based on the qualifications frameworks, Modified Bloom levels, relative importance to other competencies, frequency, and difficulty to learn;
  • performance criteria – what a competent assessor must be able to do in order to achieve the statement in the title;
  • range of circumstances – the extent and circumstances of that performance;
  • knowledge – what a competent assessor should know and understand;
  • assessment criteria – what evidence is required to demonstrate this competency;
  • in most cases, specific values, attitudes, and examples.

A detailed description of one specific competency is provided below to illustrate the information structure:

 

Get detailed information on each specific competency in the Competency Profile for an Academic Credential Assessor – Volume 1.

You may also get more information about the competency profile for an academic credential assessor to learn how it was developed and its content.

What is a competency profile?


A competency profile comprises all the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values (collectively referred to as a competency) that need to be integrated in order to be able to perform a given role.

This information can be used for many purposes, such as:
  • improving human-resources-management policies and practices within your organization, such as:
    • hiring process;
    • performance assessment and review of employees.
  • developing training programs and identifying learning outcomes for qualifications.

You may get more information about the competency profile for an academic credential assessor to learn how it was developed and its content.


How are competencies defined within this context?


Competencies can be either:
  1. core, which every competent academic credential assessor should possess;
  2. optional, which are essential for some groups of assessors but not for others; and
  3. additional, which are acquired expertise beyond basic competency or management skills. This would constitute a specialist level.


Which competencies should an assessor possess?


A competent academic credential assessor must possess:
  • all the core competencies; plus
  • an appropriate combination of optional and additional competencies.

If some assessors specifically assess academic credentials issued outside Canada, certain competencies exclusive to the field of international credential assessment may be required.

However, experienced assessors may be competent to assess academic credentials issued both within and outside Canada, and thus possess both optional and additional competencies.