Services Page 1: Competency Framework Advisory and Design

Many organisations approach competency management by taking an existing framework, often a national standard or a template from a previous implementation, and mapping their workforce to it. The result is a system that technically works but doesn’t truly reflect what the roles in that organisation actually demand.

In regulated environments, that gap matters. A competency framework that doesn’t accurately represent role requirements doesn’t just produce inaccurate records, it produces false confidence. The system says people are SQEP. The reality may be different.

Getting the framework right isn’t just a design exercise. It’s the foundation on which everything else depends.

Our framework advisory work covers:

Role mapping and competency identification

Working with your operational and L&D teams to identify the genuine competency requirements of each role, across all four dimensions: knowledge, application, behaviour and training. Not what looks right on paper. What is actually required to perform safely and effectively.

Framework structure and taxonomy design

Designing the architecture of the framework, how competencies are grouped, how levels and dimensions are defined, how role profiles are structured, so that it works intuitively for assessors, managers and individuals, and produces the evidence regulators and inspectors expect.

Regulatory and standards alignment

Mapping your framework to the relevant national standards, occupational frameworks or regulatory requirements, NOG and NOS in fire, the College of Policing Competency and Values Framework, C699 in aviation fire, GxP requirements in life sciences, or sector-specific licensing and safety case standards.

Implementation-ready documentation

Delivering the framework in a form that is ready to be configured directly into eSQEP or Cornerstone, with clear role profiles, competency definitions, assessment criteria and dimension structures. No translation layer needed between the design and the system.

Stakeholder engagement and sign-off support

Supporting the consultation and sign-off process with operational leads, HR, L&D and regulatory stakeholders, because a framework that hasn't been owned by the people who will use it won't be used properly.

We've helped define the standard. Not just implement it.

Fire & Rescue - NOG and NOS

We have worked extensively with a leading fire and rescue client to define what can become the standard for National Occupational Guidance (NOG) and National Occupational Standards (NOS) in fire. This is standard-setting work, the kind of engagement that shapes how an entire sector evidences competency.

Aviation Fire - C699

SQEPtech worked with the Airport Fire Officers Association (AFOA) to help define the C699 competency framework for aviation fire, the framework that eSQEP now supports natively and generates evidence against. We are an AFOA member, and that membership reflects an ongoing relationship with the sector.

Policing - College of Policing CVF

We have deep working knowledge of the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework and how it maps to the officer lifecycle, from PCDA and DHEP entry routes through to specialist roles and promoted ranks.

Nuclear, Pharma and other regulated sectors

Our framework advisory experience extends to nuclear, pharmaceutical and life sciences environments, sectors where the competency framework has to meet not just operational needs but formal regulatory and validation requirements.

We deliver

Documented role map — roles, levels and competency requirements identified and structured

Competency framework design — taxonomy, dimensions, assessment criteria and proficiency levels

Standards and regulatory alignment documentation

Implementation-ready framework configuration for eSQEP and/or Cornerstone

Stakeholder engagement support and sign-off facilitation

Post-implementation framework review and update service

Whether you’re starting from scratch, updating a framework that no longer reflects your operational reality, or preparing for a system implementation and wanting to get the foundations right, we’d like to talk.