Field Identification Skills Certificates

What is a FISC?

A Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) is a simple, affordable test that determines your botanical skill level on a scale from 1 (beginner) to 7 (expert). They are becoming established as the industry standard for assessing botanical survey skills.

The test was developed in 2006 by the BSBI in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and the Field Studies Council, and the first real exams were set in 2007.

The aim of the FISC is to measure your skills in real-life situations. Each test consists of a lab session, where the candidates are asked to name fresh specimens of 30 species collected around the British Isles. This is followed by a site survey. The whole test lasts half a day and is set at an affordable price of about £50.

The outcome of a FISC is evidence of your level of competence, which can be used on a CV or to help you plan further training. From the point of view of the BSBI, the FISCs help to break down resistance to quality control, which is an impediment to progress is botany.

 

Who are they for?

FISCs are fun as well as challenging. They are for anyone who wants to know roughly how good they really are at botany - whether for professional development or amateur interest.

Because there is no failure, you don’t have to be brilliant. The outcome will be a certificate from the BSBI showing your level of skill, with advice about what sort of activity you are competent to undertake and what further studies you need if you wish to progress up the skills ladder.

Further information

The programme for 2008 is now complete, with 38 people having taken one this year.

There will be an opportunity to take a FISC (for free) for delegates at the BSBI Recorders’ Conference in September. See the Meetings Page for details.

We will bring details of the 2009 programme as soon as it is available.

BSBI Poster

For employers who are interested in customising the FISC for their own needs (e.g. specialised tests for particular species groups), contact Sarah Whild at the University of Birmingham.

 

Test your identification skills with Clive Stace’s Knowledge Test.

 

The Skills Pyramid

(by Sarah Whild & Sue Townsend)

7 = Outstanding; e.g. a good national referee.

6 = Excellent ID skills; would undertake national surveys on specific taxonomic groups.

5 = Very good ID skills; reliable for site surveys and with some knowledge of critical groups.

4 = Good ID skills; would undertake wildlife surveys and contribute records to national schemes.

3 = Reasonable ID skills; would know some flowering plants but few grasses, sedges or ferns.

2 = Some ID skills; can name some common flowering plants but not capable of producing a site list.

1 = Very few ID skills; can tell if it is a buttercup or a daisy but has probably not attended any courses or studied botany seriously yet.