The term “competent” is defined as having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose1. So, it would make sense that credentials teach students competencies, or how to be knowledgeable on a specific topic or skill. In the manufacturing industry, there are many credentials that a person can earn, and with them, competencies they can learn.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) CareerOneStop website provides competency models for multiple manufacturing industries. These models were created through collaborations of the ETA and industry partners to identify competencies that are essential for workplace success. The manufacturing models available are:
These models are shown as pyramids, as you move up the pyramid from bottom to top, the competencies become industry and occupation specific. The bottom tier, Personal Effectiveness Competencies, apply to many industries because they are workplace skills and not job or industry specific. You can learn more about each of the tiers here to see what each contains.
While the ETA competency models are just one tool to use to learn about the kind of competencies you can learn from manufacturing credentials, it is a comprehensive one. The ETA partnered with industry experts within each industry to build the competencies for the industry. For example, you can see all the industry associations involved here for the advanced manufacturing model specifically. Remember that just like skills, competencies can cross sectors and industries. So, having a competency can help you grow or move within your industry, but can also help you change industries by giving you a good foundation, just like the bottom of the pyramid.