The government plans to establish a wide-ranging set of standards to gauge workers’ competence in more than 800 occupations by 2014, officials said Tuesday.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment and Labor are currently developing the National Competency Standards system, in which a person will be able to receive accreditation or certification for demonstrating a certain level of performance in a particular job.

The project aims to produce competent workers and to develop skills needed for industry. It is one of President Park Geun-hye’s pledges designed to help reduce the influence of educational background on employment and career.

A national committee to design and operate the competency model convened its first meeting Tuesday.

The ministry said that it would categorize standards for more than 800 jobs, and develop teaching materials and curriculum for the National Competency Standards by the end of 2014.

Na Seung-il, vice minister of education and co-chair of the committee, said that the standards are crucial to forging a “competency-based society.”

“When the national competency standards are completed, people will be valued not for their educational backgrounds but for their talents,” he said in a statement.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)