SummitSkills reviews National Occupational Standards

(22/08/2007)

SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, has begun a major review of the sector’s National Occupational Standards (NOS) qualifications and assessment principles at operative level. These standards describe the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to undertake a particular job to a nationally recognised level of competence - they form the basis of qualifications such as NVQs and SVQs.

The project, managed by SummitSkills, is due for completion in March 2008 and is supported by employers and the sector’s main trade and professional bodies. The project consultant is Pye Tait Ltd, who has extensive experience in qualifications and NOS design and development.

Over the coming year, a range of activities will take place to assess the current standards and formulate the new approach. In July and October, employers will be involved in technical workshops to review the existing NOS. There will be a series of three technical workshops, one for each industry within building services engineering.

In November, focus group events will take place across Britain and Northern Ireland to discuss outcomes and any proposed structures for the new qualifications. Web-based consultations will be organised in late summer and early autumn, providing a chance for others in the sector to contribute. The outcome of the review will be determined by an implementation group consisting of awarding bodies, assessors, regulatory bodies and employers.

Trevor Hill, development manager for SummitSkills, said: “Some of the skills in the NOS are more than eight years old and do not take into account new working practices, legislation, technologies and environmental considerations. Having a consistent approach to style, layout and terminology will benefit employers and individuals across all occupations at ‘operative level’ and result in more user-friendly NOS and qualifications.”

Related categories:  Legislation and regulations   Training 

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