Overview

The Government of Alberta uses a job classification system to evaluate each job in our organization against established factors. This section includes information on non-management job classification and evaluation methodologies.

Job evaluation factors

The Government of Alberta evaluates non-management jobs using the Point Rating Evaluation Plan (PREP). Every job, no matter how unique, has common factors that can be measured and evaluated. These factors focus on the value of the job to the organization and can be broken into 3 categories:

  • Knowledge
  • Creativity/problem solving
  • Responsibility

Knowledge itself is broken down into 3 sub-factors, resulting in a total of 5 different job factors.

Knowledge

This factor refers to all knowledge, skills and abilities needed for acceptable job performance. It does not just include formal education but all knowledge, however you acquire it. There are 3 knowledge factors. Each job will require a more or less unique set of knowledge, with a different balance between these 3 factors:

  • Professional/content knowledge – knowledge about practical procedures and technical procedures, specialized techniques, theoretical models, and professional disciplines measuring both depth and breadth
  • Complexity and diversity – this involves analytical and conceptual skills needed for tasks such as planning, organizing, advising, consulting, integrating, coordinating, assimilating, developing, directing and staffing
  • Human relations skills – this is needed for person-to-person interaction with colleagues, teams, clients, families, the public, those with varying levels of responsibility within the organization, and external organizations

Creativity/problem solving

This is a measure of original, innovative thinking needed for:

  • analyzing
  • evaluating
  • reasoning
  • conceptualizing
  • drawing inferences
  • forming hypotheses
  • arriving at conclusions
  • developing policies and programs

Creativity is a mental activity that can be more than problem solving, such as when you use your knowledge to work in a range of environments from highly controlled to unstructured. Creativity/problem solving reflects the relationship between a ‘thinking environment’ and a ‘thinking challenge’. It is diminished when thinking is limited by standards or precedents. Creativity/problem solving measures the intensity that knowledge is used, so it is treated as a percentage of the knowledge used.

Responsibility

This is the degree that a job has a direct impact on end results and the importance of those results to the organization. This factor reflects the character of the job and how it balances creativity with responsibility. Some jobs focus more on responsibility, while others focus on creativity. Others balance the 2 factors.

Requesting an evaluation

An employee or their supervisor can initiate an evaluation request by submitting an updated job description. The following steps will take place:

Step 1. Providing information

The job holder and/or supervisor will be asked to provide additional information about the job, including its purpose, accountabilities and where it sits in the organization.

Step 2. Scoring

Human Resources will review the information provided and will evaluate and score the job based on the factors and comparison to benchmark jobs from a cross-government benchmark list.

Step 3. The decision

It will take up to 60 working days from the request to review, score the job and provide a written decision. The timelines may be extended on mutual agreement between parties.

Employees may contact Human Resources if they have questions about the classification decision.

Human Resources will not re-evaluate a job within 6 months of the last review unless there is a substantial change in responsibilities or structure.

Appeal information

If an employee disagrees with the classification decision, they may submit an appeal. There are 2 levels of appeal: a departmental review (first level) and the appeal board.

More information is available in the Non-management Classification Appeals directives.

Classification by occupational category

Different jobs fit within different occupational categories. Find stream definitions, benchmark listings and classes and point bands for Alberta Public Service non-management jobs.