Enhanced Use of the NOC through Electronic Databases

By Peter Cameron

Career counsellors, labour market analysts, employers and individual job seekers use the National Occupational Classification (NOC), the Career Handbook (CH) and Job Futures (JF) as a standardized way to of describing and understanding the world of work.

The NOC contains a list of 36,670 job titles classified under 923 Unit Groups. Each of these Unit Groups is defined along with their main duties and employment requirements. The Career Handbook further defines these Unit Groups by aptitudes, interests, physical activities and environmental conditions. For each group there is also information on employment requirements, employers and a list of similar occupations. Job Futures provides salary data and labour market information.

The information in the above paragraph is extensive to the point of overwhelming when trying to match these parameters to appropriate job choices. This is the type of application that naturally lends itself to the use of electronic data base searches. One such searchable database of NOC, CH and JF information is the Professional Profile 2004, set for release in late Fall 2004. In addition to simple access to the data, there are two modes of searching out appropriate occupations for job seekers: Standard Mode and Composite Transferable Skills Analysis (C–TSA) Mode

Standard Mode

Using the Standard Mode feature, you may search the NOC, CH and parts of JF by selecting any or all of the following:

Aptitudes

• Enter raw scores from the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) and Profile will yield the nine converted scores and produce an interpreted report. In the absence of actual test scores, estimated aptitude levels may be used.

Interests

• Enter either actual or estimated results from the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI).

Worker Functions

• Enter the Data, People, Things profile suitable for your client.

Education / Training Indicators

• Enter the client’s existing (or anticipated) level, ranging from no education to post graduate and professional degrees.

Environmental Conditions

• Include or exclude jobs based on various discomforts, hazards, and/or location.

Physical Activities

• Choose jobs based on body position, colour discrimination, hearing, limb coordination, strength and/or vision requirements.

Salary and Labour Market Information

• Includes basic information contained in Job Futures

Composite Transferable Skills Analysis (C–TSA) Mode

With the Composite Transferable Skills Analysis (C–TSA) Mode, a work history can be built from the client’s preview job experiences. This feature is particularly useful for those counsellors working in the vocational rehabilitation field.

For example, let’s say a client has been a short order cook, parking attendant and a plumber.

Using Profile, the first step would be to do a key word search of these job titles to determine the Unit Group of each. Profile will then search out all the data within each and produce a profile based on the highest level of each of the parameters in the NOC, Career Handbook and Job Futures.

The situation that now presents itself is that the client has suffered a work related injury and is confined to a wheel chair and has limited strength and mobility and is no longer able to do her/his job. The C–TSA profile is then further refined to include only jobs in Unit Groups that can be done from a sitting position, have limited strength requirements (up to 5 kg) and exclude those that have hazardous conditions and discomforts.

As a word of caution, counsellors are aware that such searches may be overly simplistic as, even though these databases are extensive, they are not exhaustive. Furthermore, the NOC describes occupations and not individuals and individuals may be able to exceed the requirements set out for a particular occupation. Many factors not contained in these valuable publications need to be considered for a comprehensive and constructive report to clients.

Professional Profile 2004 allows for broad–based searches in seconds, saving time while improving accuracy. It also has key word searches to assist in determining Unit Groups for all 36,670 job titles. The program is a pay per use system based on number of clients to be profiled. Qualified career professionals will be able to receive free use trials when the program becomes available.

Profile DeskTop 2004 is currently available. It contains much of the information in the professional version; however, one can search only on a single parameter at any one time and the facilities of GATB score conversion and reporting and C–TSA are not included.

The intended audience includes students and counsellors who require quick, easy access to NOC and CH data. DeskTop is an unlimited use product. For more information on Professional Profile 2004 or Profile Desktop 2004, visit www.career.nelson.com or email inquire@nelson.com.

The content of the NOC, CH, JF,CWPI and GATB was developed or adapted by Human Resources Development Canada.

Professional Profile and DeskTop were developed by Walter Martin, Director of Behavioural Sciences, St. Joseph’s General Hospital, Thunder Bay.

Thomson Nelson distributes Professional Profile, Profile DeskTop and GATB.

MHS distributes the CWPI.

Peter Cameron is a former high school teacher and statistics analyst. He is currently General Manager, Assessment & Guidance Group, Thomson Nelson and serves as Past President of Workinfonet, www.workinfonet.ca.