International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Sushant Handage, Mahesh Chander, Pratikshya Panda and Pragya Joshi

abstract
For the study, 120 extension professionals who had completed their post-graduation studies in agriculture and veterinary extension were randomly chosen as a sample. In order to assess the core competencies, i.e., the abilities in "communication," "leadership," "diversity and multiculturalism," "programme evaluation and research," "management," and "professionalism" a core competency measurement scale was developed. Expert opinion ratings were used to validate the scale. The core competency level of extension professionals was measured by mean score analysis. Using a "t test," the impact of the control variables (type of gender and kind of post-graduation program) was studied. The predictive relationship between the core competency factors was determined using a Pearson correlation matrix. To calculate the consistency and ascertain the proposed relationship between the core competency factors, PLS-SEM was employed. The extension professionals had the highest perceived competencies in the areas of ‘leadership’, ‘professionalism’, ‘diversity and multiculturalism’, and ‘communication’. When compared to graduates with master's degrees, those with PhDs in extension showed substantially greater perceived core capabilities. Using the One a path analysis was done to estimate the strength of the proposed association between the competency factors. ‘Leadership’ and ‘Professionalism’ accounted for 85.6% of the variation in ‘Management Skills’. ‘Communication’ and ‘professionalism’ abilities accounted for 68 percent of the variance in ‘leadership skills’. The explanation of ‘communication skills’ alone accounted for 78.9 percent of the variation in ‘professionalism’. Having one core competency skill, therefore, had a significant impact on the other skills.