There are many tasks in the workplace that require several competencies to be demonstrated at once. For example, if a forklift driver's job involved loading and unloading delivery trucks, their activities would be described in all three of the following competencies:

• TLID2010A: Operate a forklift
  
  
• TLID2004A: Load and unload goods/cargo
  
  
• TLIA2012: Pick and process orders

In a case like this, the best way to assess the competencies is to integrate them into a holistic, or 'whole' assessment of the activity. Holistic assessments allow you to:

• assess a group of related competencies together
  
  
• integrate the knowledge, skills and application into a 'cluster' of competencies
  
  
• look at all aspects of the job, not just individual skills.

You'll recall that we looked at the three competencies shown above back in Section 1 when we were discussing how to develop a 'training needs analysis'.

Because these competencies all form part of a continuous job flow, the same holistic approach can be applied to the training delivery as well as assessment. This helps to keep the related competencies together and avoid repetition or overlaps in training topics and assessment activities.

Some competencies have recommendations for carrying out holistic assessments. This is often under a sub-heading called 'Integrated assessment' or 'Interdependent assessment of units'.