These standards establish the benchmark of competence required in the sector and form the key component of many qualifications.
National occupational standards (NOS) form the basis of qualifications from Apprenticeships and foundation degrees, to vocational qualifications and training programmes.
Discover more about Apprenticeships >
The standards also help define job roles, measure staff performance and identify and develop routes for progression and professional development.
We work together with employers, partner organisations and experts to develop national occupational standards across the Active Leisure, Learning and Well-being Sector. To find out more about the use of standards in the workplace, we have produced a National Occupational Standards manual.
The format of national occupational standards
National occupational standards are produced as a suite of units for each occupational area. The unit structure allows for easy identification of the relevant NOS for a particular role.
National occupational standards have been developed for the majority of industrial and occupational sectors in the UK. There are NOS that have been developed which focus specifically on key generic areas of competence including administration, management and leadership, and enterprise.
National occupational standards in our sector
Browse the standards available for the active leisure, learning and well-being sector:
- Level 1 national occupational standards
- Level 2 national occupational standards
- Level 3 national occupational standards
- Level 4 national occupational standards
- Standards with no specific level
Current NOS Projects
We constantly review and update our NOS suites to ensure that they remain current with the ever changing work of the industry. We need assistance from those out in the sector to help us shape these NOS projects and ensure that they reflect best working practices. Our current NOS projects are:
Hair and Beauty national occupational standards
Through our license with UKCES we manage the Hair and Beauty NOS in partnership with Habia, the sector body for the hair, beauty, nails and spa sector.
Find out out more about these standards on the Habia website
