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National Occupational Standards (NOS)

SkillsActive works together with partner organisations and experts to develop National Occupational Standards across the active leisure and learning sector.

National Occupational Standards establish the benchmark of competence required in the sector.

National Occupational Standards can be used to:

Develop National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). NVQs and SVQs form the key component of any Apprenticeship framework
As a basis for Foundation Degrees
Develop Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQ’s) and training programmes
Plan training and development
Define job roles
Measure staff performance and identify strengths and weaknesses, using the standards to appraise and develop staff
Identify and develop routes for progression and professional updating.

National Occupational Standards can be an incredibly useful tool to assist employers in developing their workforce. The Standards have many uses, can provide recognised benchmarks for competent performance and can be a particularly useful HR and training tool assisting professionals in:

Recruitment
Training needs analysis
Appraisals

See the National Occupational Standards manual for more information on the use of NOS in the above areas.

National Occupational Standards define the main roles and responsibilities within an area of work. They provide a clear description of what an employee needs to do to perform his/her job successfully. NOS consist of a detailed breakdown of the tasks, knowledge and skills needed for effective performance within a job role, including any statutory or legal responsibilities.

National Occupational Standards offer a framework for good employment practice

SkillsActive’s NOS provide a framework of tried and tested good practice needed to effectively perform different jobs in the active leisure and learning industries.

Employers can use NOS to compare their workforces’ performance to these nationally developed benchmarks of good practice, and to be very clear about what they need to achieve. NOS look at what needs to be achieved (in other words, they are ‘outcome’ based), rather than telling people how to achieve those goals.

NOS have been developed over a number of years by people who work in the industry and experts from each occupational area through a process of investigation, analysis and consultation with a wide-range of people.

National Occupational Standards format

National Occupational Standards are produced as a suit 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.

Using National Occupational Standards when recruiting

National Occupational Standards can be used as a basis for the recruitment of both employed and voluntary staff. The use of NOS allows for a fair and effective recruitment process, with both candidates and employers clear about what is required.

Download a useful overview of all the standards at levels 1,2 and 3.