EFFECT OF COMPETENCY AND EDUCATION LEVEL ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN BIREUEN REGENCY TRADE INDUSTRY COOPERATIVES AND SMES SERVICE

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the effect of competency and educational attainment on employee performance at the Department of Trade, Industry, Cooperatives, and SMEs in Bireuen Regency. The primary issue addressed is the less-than-optimal performance of employees, which is assumed to be related to their level of competency and education. A quantitative method with an associative approach was employed in this research. The population consisted of all employees, and a saturated sampling technique was applied. Data were gathered through questionnaires, observations, and documentation, and subsequently analyzed using validity and reliability tests, multiple linear regression, t-tests, F-tests, and the coefficient of determination with the assistance of SPSS software. The findings reveal that competency has a positive and significant influence on employee performance, whereas educational level shows a positive but not statistically significant effect. Collectively, competency and education level significantly influence employee performance. These results suggest that enhancing competency plays a more dominant role in improving employee performance.

Keywords: Competence, Education Level, Employee Performance