Competency isn’t one thing — it’s a complete picture of what people need to know and be able to do to perform safely, consistently, and at a high level. CABEM’s 5 Categories of Competency provide a clear, practical way to define, assess, and sustain workforce readiness across roles and departments.

In this category, we break down each competency area and show how they work together to strengthen performance and compliance. You’ll find real-world guidance for building role-based expectations, identifying gaps early, and creating measurable pathways from training to true capability. We also explore how organizations use these categories to standardize quality, reduce risk, and stay audit-ready without overwhelming managers or frontline teams.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining an existing program, these insights will help you build a competency framework that’s simple to manage, meaningful to your workforce, and defensible when regulators or auditors ask for proof.