Training on the new occupational classification:

the Italian experience

Francesca Gallo, Barbara Lorè

Istat- Servizio Formazione e Lavoro

Target groups

Interviewers employed in the surveys carried out by Istat, in which occupational information are collected

All the offices who are centrally or locally involved in the population census activities

LFS interviewers (300 capi and 100 cati). This is the most complete training experience so to this event we will make reference in the following

Each of them has been addressed a one-day training

The training needs identification

We got these hints from different sources of information:

the daily exchanges we have with interviewers by phone or by

email in order to support them in difficult encoding cases.

the periodical debriefing that we usually have with interviewers

the continuous monitoring activity aimed at checking and

assessing the quality of the interviewers’ encoding work, which

highlighted two main sources of inaccuracy information collected by interviewers is sometimes too

generic or refers to something different from the occupation

there were some topics of the classification that were not enough understood

Training goals

1. give information on changes in the classification structure and contents

the main changes in the classification criteria within some major groups;

the most complex job families; occupational units which have been reclassified, removed or

introduced for the first time; the new tool to look up a code on the new Classification of

occupation (Navigator of the 2011 Classification); the consistencies rules introduced between occupation,

professional status and economic activity.

2. improve the encoding outcomes quality get practice in applying knowledge get practice in using the Navigator of the 2011 Classification identify bad practices and share good practices in collecting and

encoding occupational information

Methods and tools: the theoretical session

Presentation

CP11: what changes from CP2001. The topic will be addressed in cluster of occupations.

Use of Posters (to reinforce learning)

Key words identifying Major groups of occupationsBasic concepts on occupations

ToolsSlides

Expectation

At the end of this module, interviewers should have acquired the information they need to properly code occupation.

Work on knowledge

Acquire notions

theoretical session’s topics

Entrepreneurs of “small” and “big” enterprises

Entrepreneurs, shopkeepers and self-employed

craftsmen

Process control technicians (3rd major group) and

plant and machine operators (8th major group)

Supervisors versus supervised

Personal care workers

Teaching occupations

Neighbouring major groups (the rationale)

Methods and tools: the practical session

Aim: to apply the acquired knowledge in order to improvethe encoding quality

1° exercise- Work in pairs and simulate the interview- Script for the respondent containing relevant, irrelevant and misleading pieces of information- Come up with the right code

2° exercise- Work in pairs on a given generic answer to occupation- Identify the questions to get more detail information in order to come up with the correct and unique code

Select the relevant informationGet practice with the Navigator of 2011CP

Understand that a generic answer can lead to different right code depending on the type of answers collected

Exercises on different paths starting from generic the answer ‘ I deal with statistics’ to the final code

First question First answer Second question

Second answer Final code (national classification)

Where? At university or elsewhere?

At UniversityWhat role do you

play?

I am a Professor 2.6.1.6.0 - Professor

I am a Researcher 2.6.2.6.0 - Researcher

ElsewhereWhich are your tasks/duties?

Develop statistical concepts, theories, operational models and techniques

2.1.1.3.2 - Statistician

Assist Statisticians in planning and performing statistical analysis

3.1.1.3.0 - Statistical associate

professionals

Collect data

3.3.1.3.2 - Survey and market

research interviewers

Clerical tasks

4.1.2.2.0 - Data

entry clerks 4.3.2.4.0 -

Statistical clerks

Sharing best practices session Work on the skills

Work in groups

Detect the key elements that make a coding tough rather than easy. List them in a poster. The trainer will make a summary.

Acquire the method

-Take the right time to get sufficient information-Motivate the respondent on the importance of his/her answers

-Raise the right questions to incomplete information

-Select the key information to match the classification criteria

Best practices

Follow-up activities

a debriefing at the end of the first quarter 2011 LFS

a short questionnaire aimed at collecting information on:1. difficulties in understanding some specific classification

criteria

2. difficulties in searching out some particular occupational codes using the Navigator of the 2011 Classification

a test to self-evaluate their knowledge of the classification