Competency-based training for technicians in Taiwan

Competency-Based Training (CBT) for skilled workers and technicians has been used for many years in Taiwan. However, a systematic approach to develop competency standards and instructional packages was not used until four years ago. One hundred kinds of competency standards and teaching materials for the occupations have been developed within these four years. Generally speaking, there are nine steps to developing a curriculum for CBT. These are: identification of the job market and specific occupation, identification of essential student prerequisites, analysis of competencies, identification of learning objectives, development of measurement instruments, development of learning packages, development of the learning management system, implementation of learning, evaluation and feedback for revision. Transformation from traditional teaching methods to Competency-Based Training (CBT) is not easy in Taiwan. The reasons for this include administration adaptation, teacher attitude and student ability in self-learning. Suggestions for the use of CBT are also mentioned in the paper through the experiences gained in Taiwan.