OaSIS has been Released!

[Francois Paradis]

Dear colleagues,

ESDC has released  version 1.0 of its Occupational Information and Skills Information System (OaSIS) this morning, which is based on the 2021 structure of the NOC.

I have had a first look at it and while the amount of data provided is certainly impressive, I felt it necessary to write to ESDC about what I think may be shortcomings in the system. I provide below a summary of my observations:

I see OaSIS utilizes many scales to describes  skills and competencies but I could not find a clear description of the scales. The following is the example of Purchasing Managers (NOC 10012.00). I see that verbal ability is divided into 5 levels but I can’t find an explanation of what each level means. What is a moderate level, for example? Criteria are needed to understand what each ability level means (See Main Characteristics of the Career Handbook). Also, how does this scale relate to the aptitude levels in the Career Handbook? Is OaSIS superseding the Career Handbook?

Same question for scales concerning physical abilities. What is the meaning of each level? For example, I don’t understand what ‘low level’ means here (for example, the Career Handbook classifies strength levels in terms of weight (kg). Regarding frequency and duration scales, descriptors are offered but they are not very clear. For example, are level 4 and 5 frequency based on an 8-hour shift per day? Same question for duration.

So an explanation of the scales is necessary, in my opinion. In addition, a quantitative scale is more useful than a qualitative scale because it provides objective information that is not subject to interpretation.

I invite you to explore the OaSIS website and to share your comments here.

[Mary Virio]

Thanks Francois! It’s definitely a thorough database but it takes a lot of digging to find information.  Hopefully you will get some clarification on these questions. Thanks for looking into this.

And happy new year!

[Francois Paradis]

Hello Mary,

The OaSIS database is indeed quite extensive and there are several layers of data to dig through. It will take time getting familiar with it and Tami is taking steps to secure a presenter at our conference this year to provide more details on the ins and outs of OaSIS. I was recently in touch with Mr. Marc Gendron at ESDC and asked him if they could provide more details on how the scales were designed and the meaning of each ratings. He told me that ESDC has been using a ratings guide which will be made available in the near future. Also more details on the ratings will be added in OaSIS as well as examples of tasks to illustrate each level, which should help better understand what each level means.

I was also told that OaSIS data is presented concurrently but independently from the Career Handbook, OaSIS being primarily inspired by O*NET. I have noted that several traits are shared between OaSIS and the Career Handbook but with different ratings for the same occupation. This could lead to confusion and we will need clarification on how to handle these types of discrepancies. We will surely learn more in the coming months!

Happy new year to you as well!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by 3986.

[Andrea Genereux]

Hello Francois,

As we discussed, I am very concerned with this new tool and hope that ESDC is not planning to remove the career handbook altogether as was suggested to me. I am worried that we have no way to measure a person’s levels with respect to the categories listed in OaSIS, we have no understanding as to the levels cited and differ from the Career Handbook, and we have no way of knowing which are salient and which are simply associated. I am grateful to you for leading this charge with ESDC and hope that they will hear and be able to sufficiently address our concerns.

[Francois Paradis]

Hello Andrea,

I think you bring valid concerns and I took the liberty of conveying those to Marc Gendron and Laura Sauer at ESDC. I include below what I conveyed to them and my comments.

• The Career Handbook will be replaced by OaSIS (Marc has previously told me that this would not be the case but given what you’ve heard, we need a clear answer on this).
• We have no tools to measure OaSIS factors. Marc has previously told me that ESDC may partner or sponsor assessment tool development in the future. For now though, a lack of assessment tools is a problem.
• There is a lack of description for the scales used in OaSIS and what the levels actually mean. Marc had told me they would eventually release the Canadian Rating Guide that was used to rate each occupational factors. I think the sooner we get this information, the better. For now I will refrain from using OaSIS until we have a better understanding of the rating scales and criteria used.
• There is a duplication of several factors between the Career handbook and OaSIS and discrepancies in ratings. For example, OaSIS indicates that Managers in Healthcare (NOC 30010.00) requires a high level (level 4) of verbal ability while in the Career Handbook, this occupation (NOC 0311.0) requires the highest level of verbal ability (level 1). Evidently, although both classifications use a five-point rating, the meaning of each level is different. If both classifications are meant to coexist, it will be important to explain these discrepancies in ratings to avoid confusion and misuse of the data.

As vocational rehabilitation professionals review OaSIS, there will likely be additional issues raised. For example, I can see that the way certain physical demands are aggregated is problematic; the activities of walking and running are bunched together, which is puzzling, as a lot of occupations require walking but not many require running. Grouping these two activities together can only muddy the data.

I will keep in touch with ESDC and post their response here on this forum!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by 3986.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by 3986.

[Melissa Bissonnette]

VRA Manitoba Society is hosting a lunch and learn on OaSIS on January 26, 2023 where we can learn more and ask questions. If you are interested you can register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/x/oasis-the-occupational-and-skills-information-system-tickets-504860530437?aff=eemailordconf&ref=eemailordconf&utm_campaign=order_confirm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite&app_cta_src=order_conf_email&utm_term=digitalx.

[Francois Paradis]

Thank you Melissa. This should be an interesting presentation and I think many participants will raise concerns with OaSIS. I also look forward to CAVEWAS’s May conference for another presentation on this topic. It will be up to us to stay in touch with ESDC and let them know what needs improvement.

[Francois Paradis]

Good morning, I have been in conversation with Mr. Marc Gendron at ESDC and am sharing below his answers to questions previously submitted, along with my further comments. If you share my concerns regarding the Career Handbook and OaSIS, I encourage you to contact ESDC and make your voice heard.

Here are the questions that were sent to Marc and his response:

The Career Handbook will be replaced by OaSIS

The OaSIS is the successor of the Career Handbook. The Career Handbook 2016 will remain accessible, as it is currently.
Furthermore, we’ve been asked if the Career Handbook will be updated to be aligned with the NOC 2021. The short answer is no. Data for the Career Handbook dates back to the early 2000s and is not longer up-to-date with the current labour market, especially to evolution of occupational groups as represented in the NOC. That being said, we are considering an exercise to align, where possible, Career Handbook codes with NOC 2021 codes, for those curious to see what the 2016 Career Handbook will look like in the NOC 2021 structure. However :
1. There are no timelines yet for such work to be conducted;
2. If and when performed, only a subset of Career Handbook profiles can go through that process and;
3. Career Handbook specific data (i.e. aptitudes, interests, data/people/things, physical activities and environmental conditions) won’t be updated, meaning that ratings will still reflect those gathered in the early 2000s.

We have no tools to measure OaSIS factors.

We are not too sure about what is meant by assessment tools. The Labour Market Information directorate is responsible for producing labour market information. This includes the development and update of the content and structure of the National Occupational Classification, the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy and more recently the OaSIS.

There is a lack of description for the scales used in OaSIS and what the levels actually mean.

Agreed. We are indeed currently working on a tool to help OaSIS users better understand the ratings. However, we do not have a timeline yet for its publication. It is important to note that the OaSIS was first launched to gather mostly feedback and see what are key elements to work on for its first update.

There is a duplication of several factors between the Career handbook and OaSIS and discrepancies in ratings.

Agreed. The OaSIS is built on the O*NET framework, while the Career Handbook is built based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles framework. So the concepts measured and the scales and the distribution of ratings along those scales are all different. Also, and may be more importantly, Career handbook data dates from the early 2000s. So we expect that the two sources of information do not provide the same information for “similar” skills, abilities or other descriptors. That being said, this is a very good point. We will need to clearly state those differences between the two data sources, ideally, somewhere on the website.

Here is my response to Marc this morning. I will post updates on this thread as I hear more.

Good morning Marc and thank you for your response. I am glad to hear ESDC plans on publishing a tool to better explain the ratings and scales found in OaSIS. This should prove very useful!

Regarding the Career Handbook not getting an update, I can say I am not really surprised but quite disappointed. I have been advocating updating the Career Handbook for many years and I do not understand why ESDC would choose to abandon it. I think this decision will create a shockwave in the vocational rehabilitation industry. As you may know, the Career Handbook’s data (I.e. physical demands and aptitudes) has been used for decades to assist people with disabilities returning to work. Aptitudes are a predictor of success at learning the skills needed to perform work-related tasks and doing well in an academic setting. Physical demands that are quantitative (I.e. amount of weight) instead of qualitative (as in OaSIS) is also crucial to accurately assess the physical requirements of jobs and their suitability. This information has been vital for vocational rehabilitation counsellors (VRC’s)and for the insurance industry, among others. I think it is a mistake not to update the Career Handbook. The same mistake was committed by the Social Security Administration in the United States when they decided not to update the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). Its replacement, the O*NET, which is similar to OaSIS, is more qualitative in nature and has been deemed by the SSA as inadequate for the purpose of disability determination. The result of this is that a majority of American VRC’s have continued relying on the old DOT. I think the same thing is likely to happen here in Canada.

Another point is that reliable and valid tests to measure GATB aptitudes have been on the Canadian market for decades. I understand that it is not ESDC’s mandate to develop psychometric tests for its occupational traits but abandonment of the Career Handbook in favour of OaSIS leaves a vacuum, as there likely will not be assessment tools to measure against OaSIS’s occupational factors for several years.

I certainly appreciate you taking the time to listen to our concerns and to keep an open dialogue with our professional community!

[Andrea Genereux]

Bravo Francois, well said!

[donald bruin]

Yes Francois, well said. I do very much hope that our voices will be heard. I for one will be in touch with them to volunteer my time to test any new developments in either the OaSIS or new developments in the Career Handbook.

[Author]

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