Lab Matters Summer 2025 | Page 27

The Laboratory Curriculum Framework is a competencybased curriculum framework— a career-spanning, visual schematic— for human and animal food laboratory professionals. The framework is being used for:

• Training development courses and other learning events

• Cataloging existing training

• Career development

• Competency assessment

The goal of this framework is to foster a competent workforce trained to a consistent standard. While this framework was originally created for analysts working in human and animal food laboratories, many competencies and training materials have a broader reach.

Framework Lev els

The framework spans four professional levels( entry, mid, expert and director), and depicts the content areas in which laboratory professionals must possess competencies( i. e., knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors and attributes) in order to successfully perform their job functions.

Building Analyst Competency

The framework outlines the competencies that laboratorians should possess in various stages of their career and in various disciplines( Microbiology, Chemistry, Specialized Testing). You can use these competencies to determine where you or your supervisee have knowledge gaps and identify learning resources to gain these competencies.

Competencies List: www. ifpti. org / ncs-lab-competencies Interactive Framework: www. ifpti. org / ifss-lab

Training Available

Competency-based training courses are currently in development to complement the curriculum framework. These courses can b e found on APHL ' s Learning Portal at learn. aphl. org / learn.