Core competencies: Ensuring the voice of the public health workforce

Canada's ambitious plan to renew public health for the 21st Century includes strengthening the public health workforce. The Public Health Association of British Columbia (PHABC) is a leader in public health workforce development. Most recently, the Association initiated a two-year project in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada to identify competencies and training needs within BC core public health programs.   The intent of this project is to develop a public health workforce that has the right mix of people equipped with the right mix of competencies, in the right place and at the right time for the effective and efficient delivery of public health in BC. The project has 2 phases. The first is to identify the core and technical competencies most critical to implementing the BC Ministry of Health Framework for Core Functions in Public Health and to identify competency profile gaps. The second is to implement processes to address the identified competency profile gaps and to recommend the appropriate education response. This project is unique in that it allows practice, education, and policy leaders in public health to explore and develop education plans in a collaborative joint process.  

This presentation will review the methodology for identifying competency requirements and gaps and provide details on the competencies that are generic across the public health programs in British Columbia. It will also identify the organizational supports that practitioners identify to support their practice. The implications of these findings for future public health workforce development will be explored. The role of a public health association in this type of research will also be detailed with an exploration of the effectiveness of PHABC as an independent organization ensuring that knowledge development and knowledge exchange activities reflect the needs of the public health workforce.