Free resources — no sign-up required
Four documents covering what SkillGrader is, how it works, and what it looks like in a real-world deployment. Download any or all — no sign-up, no email address required. If something raises a question, we're easy to reach.
SkillGrader Overview
A concise visual introduction to what SkillGrader does, the problems it solves, and how it works — from assessment form to instant report to enterprise analytics. Ideal for sharing with colleagues or leadership.
Download Free →SkillGrader Features & Functionality
A detailed reference covering the full feature set — assessment forms, grading engine, instant reports, offline capability, analytics dashboards, and configuration options. Everything you need for a technical evaluation.
Download Free →The SkillGrader Difference
A visual summary of the three problems that plague paper-based assessment — assessor bias, report overhead, and lack of actionable data — and how SkillGrader addresses each one. Clear, concise, and easy to share.
Download Free →CSMART Academy — Carnival Corporation
How the world's leading maritime simulation training centre — training 7,000+ Carnival Corporation officers annually — used SkillGrader to replace subjective paper assessment with structured, objective, data-driven competency evaluation at scale.
Download Free →Common questions
The questions we hear most often — answered directly. If something isn't covered here, the fastest way to get an answer is a conversation with us.
What do we mean by "skills assessment"?
Skills assessment — in the way we use the term — means the direct, in-person observation of someone performing a physical or procedural skill. Not a quiz. Not a knowledge test. A trained observer watches someone actually do something — run a hose evolution, conduct a patient assessment, operate equipment, execute an emergency procedure — and records whether the required actions were performed correctly.
This happens in virtually every industry in the world. It is fundamental to workforce safety, compliance, and performance. And nearly all of it is still done on paper — which means different assessors grade the same performance differently, results take days to process, and data sits in filing cabinets producing no insight.
SkillGrader replaces that paper process with structured digital assessment that is objective, instant, and actually useful.
Does SkillGrader work for our industry?
If someone in your organization performs observable skills and someone else evaluates them, SkillGrader can structure that process. The platform is suited to any industry where skills are performed and outcomes matter — fire & EMS, healthcare, manufacturing, maritime, education, construction, transportation, utilities, energy, hospitality, retail, and more. If you're not sure whether it's a fit, the quickest way to find out is a 30-minute demo tailored to your workflow.
How does SkillGrader fit with our existing training systems?
SkillGrader complements whatever training infrastructure you already have. Where an LMS delivers and tracks training content — courses, videos, quizzes — SkillGrader answers the question your LMS cannot: did the training actually work? Many organizations use both together: the LMS records that training happened, SkillGrader provides evidence that competency was achieved. The combination closes the loop between learning and performance. If you use paper-based assessment today, SkillGrader replaces that directly with no disruption to the rest of your workflow.
How long does implementation take?
Getting started with SkillGrader is fast — typically limited only by how quickly you can share your existing assessment forms with us. We convert your forms right after your onboarding call, and most organizations are up and running almost immediately. The platform is fully web-based with no IT deployment, no server setup, and no integration required.
Can it work without internet access?
Yes. SkillGrader works in offline environments — on drill grounds, at sea, in remote facilities, or anywhere connectivity is unreliable. Assessors capture data on their mobile device and records sync automatically when connectivity is restored. This was a core design requirement from our early maritime deployments and applies equally to any field-based assessment environment.
Can we use our existing paper forms?
Yes — and this is usually where we start. Your existing paper forms represent your organization's accumulated knowledge about what good performance looks like, and we preserve that completely. What often surprises organizations is what happens next: once they see what structured digital assessment can capture, they quickly realize their paper forms were only scratching the surface. Many customers find themselves enhancing their assessments to capture the richer, more meaningful data that actually drives safety and training improvement. SkillGrader is built to support exactly that kind of evolution.
How objective is the assessment — doesn't it still depend on the assessor?
This is the right question to ask. SkillGrader's approach is to build the expertise into the form, not rely on it from the assessor. Assessment criteria are structured as binary observable actions — either the action was performed or it wasn't. The assessor records what they observe, not what they think about it. This dramatically reduces subjective grading and means you get consistent results regardless of which assessor conducts the evaluation.
Is SkillGrader suitable for compliance and regulatory requirements?
Yes. SkillGrader produces audit-ready records of every assessment — who was assessed, on what, by whom, when, and how they performed. These records are structured, searchable, and exportable. Organizations use SkillGrader to demonstrate competency evidence for OSHA, STCW, NFPA, Joint Commission, and a range of other regulatory and accreditation standards. The key distinction is that SkillGrader provides evidence of actual performance, not just completion of training.
Built by people who have spent their careers solving hard problems in learning and assessment.
We know what it takes to make training actually work. SkillGrader is built to prove it does.
A real problem, at real scale.
SkillGrader was developed in close collaboration with the training and assessment experts at Carnival Corporation — one of the world's largest cruise operators. Their CSMART Academy delivers annual simulation training for over 7,000 Deck and Technical Officers at a world-class facility. The challenge they faced was one that organizations in every industry share: how do you assess real-world skill performance objectively, consistently, and at scale — and turn those assessments into data you can actually use?
That challenge required a fundamentally different approach to assessment. We built SkillGrader to meet it, and what began as a tool for one of the world's most demanding maritime training environments has since grown into a platform serving organizations across industries wherever skilled performance needs to be objectively measured.
The Challenge
Paper-based assessment left instructors making subjective judgements rather than recording objective observations
No usable data — results could not be aggregated, compared, or used to drive improvement
Global scale — thousands of officers from around the world, assessed against the same standards
Expertise built into the form, not assumed from the assessor.
The core insight that makes SkillGrader different: the expertise should be in the form, not in the person holding the clipboard. When assessment criteria are structured as observable binary actions — either the action was performed or it wasn't — different assessors produce consistent results. Subjectivity is eliminated by design.
The approach succeeded immediately in one of the world's most demanding assessment environments — assessors could use it without extensive training, results were instant, and organizations had performance data they could actually learn from for the first time.
What began as a tool for high-stakes maritime simulation assessment is now used across industries wherever skilled performance needs to be objectively measured.
Help organizations know — not assume — that their people can perform.
We believe that organizations which depend on skilled people deserve better than paper checklists and gut feelings. Every assessment should produce data. Every piece of data should drive improvement. And every worker who demonstrates competency should have that documented — objectively, consistently, and in a way that stands up to scrutiny. That is what SkillGrader is built to deliver.
Deep expertise. Real-world experience.
SkillGrader is built by a team with academic and professional backgrounds spanning computer science, online learning, assessment design, and regulatory compliance. Our founders have decades of experience building technology platforms that solve hard problems in training and performance — including platforms that have served millions of users across hundreds of institutions worldwide.
We understand the full arc of workforce development: how people learn, how competency is built, and — critically — how to measure whether it has actually been achieved. That depth of experience is embedded in every design decision SkillGrader makes.
We are based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and work closely with our customers to ensure the platform fits the way assessment actually happens in their world.
See SkillGrader for your organization
No pitch. No pressure. Just information to help you decide.