Engineering workforce development model from ISA and the Automation Federation wins national award

The Engineering Competency Model (ECM)—an engineering career development guide that was conceived and co-developed by the International Society of Automation (ISA) and its affiliate, the Automation Federation—has earned a 2016 Power of A Gold Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

ASAE’s Power of A (association) Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals for their efforts to enrich lives, create a competitive workforce, prepare society for the future, drive innovation and make a better world.

The award was formally presented in mid-July to the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES), which partnered with ISA, the Automation Federation and the US Department of Labor to create the ECM. ISA also is a member organization of AAES.

The ECM is based on the framework and development process used to create the Automation Competency Model (ACM)—a collaborative effort between the Automation Federation and the US Department of Labor that outlines the specific personal, academic, workplace and technical competencies required to succeed in an automation career. The ECM leverages the same design as the ACM in detailing the precise skill sets and competencies needed to become a proficient engineer.

“These two competency models are valuable tools that guide young people toward rewarding careers in STEM-focused fields, and support the greater effort to educate and train a globally competitive workforce,” said Steve Huffman, an ISA and Automation Federation leader who played a pivotal role in the creation of both models. “We’re proud to have contributed to the ECM because it helps to bridge knowledge gaps between automation and engineering career planning, and applies our expertise in competency modeling to the broader disciplines of engineering.”

According to the ISA, experts project that over the next 10 years nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs in the US alone will be needed. Career competency models are increasingly relied upon by industry leaders, employers, human resource professionals, educators and workforce professionals to identify specific employer skill needs, develop competency-based curricula and training models, and craft industry-defined performance indicators, skill standards and certifications.

Both the ACM and ECM are multi-tiered models that feature a pyramid to depict the required key competencies. The titles of both models’ first three tiers (Personal Effectiveness Competencies, Academic Competencies, and Workplace Competencies) are identical. The upper tiers of the models contrast, reflecting the different technical competencies required of each discipline.