How skills work: the three ways to earn one
A skill in KSKILL Integra is a named capability with levels attached to it — think "JavaScript" with levels 1 through 4, or "Forklift operation" with a single pass/fail level. Skills sit underneath Job Roles and the Talent Pool: once your learners hold skills, you can search for who is qualified for a role, and learners can see how far they are from one.
Where skills come from
An admin defines the taxonomy first — the skill names and the levels each one supports — from Manage → Skills. Nothing is granted automatically just because a skill exists in the taxonomy; a learner only holds a skill once it has been granted to them through one of three paths.
Every skill a learner can hold starts life here, in the Skills manager.The three grant paths
- Self-assessment. A learner takes a timed, auto-graded quiz from My Skills and earns the level if they pass. This grant expires and is swept away automatically if not renewed.
- Reviewer / manual grant. An admin or reviewer awards the skill directly to a learner — useful for skills proven outside the platform (a certification, an in-person evaluation). This grant is durable and never expires.
- Course exam. A course's final assessment can be configured to award a skill level automatically when a learner passes it. Also durable, never expires.
My Skills shows every held skill together with which of the three paths granted it.Why the distinction matters
Only self-assessment grants carry an expiry date. If you are relying on skills data to make real staffing or compliance decisions, understand which of your learners' skills are self-reported-and-timed versus verified-and-permanent — the Talent Pool and any skill-based report will show both side by side, but they are not equally strong evidence.