What is the Civil Service Capability Framework?

From Competency to Capability – What does the new Civil Service Capability Framework mean for you?

If you have ever applied to the Civil Service in Ireland through the Public Appointments Service (PAS), you will be familiar with the “Civil Service Competency Model”, often called the ‘Competency Wheel” which outlined the skills required for each of the roles.

However, this has now been expanded and the PAS has amended the requirements for each role and is looking at them from a “Capability Framework” perspective.

How does the new Civil Service Capability Framework differ from what was used before?

The “old” competency model evaluated how well you will be able to perform the tasks for a required for a specific role.

The new capability framework takes a more holistic view and considers not only the skills, knowledge and behaviours of the candidates but also your strengths, values and motivation for the role. All of these will form part of your “Capability Profile.” They want to assess how you will perform in the role and department and how you think you will benefit the organisation by delivering excellence on behalf of the Government and people of Ireland

From Competency to Capability – what are the changes?

e.g – For a HEO role:

“Old” Competency	“New” Capability
Team Leadership	Building Future Readiness
Judgement, Analysis and Decision Making	Leading and Empowering
Managing and Delivering of Results	Evidence Informed Delivery
Interpersonal and Communication Skills	Communicating and Collaborating

For a Clerical Officer role…

“Old” Competency	“New” Capability
Teamwork	Building Future Readiness
Information Management / Processing / Delivery of Results	Evidence Informed Delivery
Customer Service and Communication Skills	Communicating and Collaborating

Each capability is further explained in detail on the PAS website.

How can I prepare for an interview using the new Civil Service Capability Framework?

Know the capabilities required for the role – you will be told these in advance and the definitions will vary from role to role.

In addition to knowing your specific examples (as per the competency interview) think about your skills and strengths and what you can add to role with these. Be ready to talk about your values and motivation for the role.

If you’re preparing for a Civil Service interview, understanding the new Capability Framework is crucial.