Conference What are National Occupational Standards in the Outdoors Sector and what can they be used

1
Conference What areNational Occupational
Standardsin the Outdoors Sectorand what can
they be used for?
2
Sector Skills Council
UK organisation one of 25. Gov licenced
agency. Key aim To support employers and sector
to be more successful,
mainly in skills/qualifications/training.

• What we do
• Ensure training qualifications are appropriate
  of quality
• Help people find the jobs and training they need
• Help the sector - attract and retain the right
  staff
• Attract/focus funding employers/ees
• Influence Governments and decision makers
• Represent promote employer and Sector needs
• Support partner sector organisations
• Promote the image of the Sector to the public

3
In the Outdoors

• Examples Outdoors
• Develop/manage National Occupational Standards
  (NOS)
• Accessing of funding for pilot projects
• Develop HE Foundation Degree frameworks
• Development of national staff induction
  programmes
• Central role in supporting qualifications
  development (UK, Europe)
• Support reg/national development bodies
  Outdoors/Sport (NGBs)
• Articulate industry/employer needs to government
  (SSA)
• Develop National Skills Academies (NSA)

4
Understanding the Outdoors
A rich and diverse entity

• Consistent growth in all outdoors sub-sector.
  Many positives to link with
• Still issues of fragmentation and negativity
• Challenges demographics/HR, professionalising,
  capability agenda at all levels part of a bigger
  picture

5
National Occupational Standards

• What are National Occupational Standards
  (NOS)?
• National Occupational Standards are
  statements of the
• skills, knowledge understanding needed in
  employment
• clearly define the outcomes of competent
  performance.

• Not training programmes
• Not qualifications Not NGBs
• NOS are written as outcomes, i.e. what you expect
  someone to be able to achieve in a job
• Not written as inputs, i.e. the training someone
  needs to achieve outcomes

6
National Occupational Standards

• NOS exist for almost every occupation in UK, and
  in many other countries.
• NOS are developed by SSCs with employer
  representatives UK-wide
• Inform the development of all relevant academic
  and vocational qualifications
• National Qualifications must be mapped against
  the relevant NOS before they can be accredited on
  the national framework and publicly funded. (eg
  ML, BELA)
• NOS can also be used as the basis for a wide
  range of staff development and management topics.
• Comprehensive review mapped over 100 different
  possible uses for NOS

7
National Occupational Standards

• How are they developed? (Eg Expeditions)
• - Functional analysis defining what it is to
  deliver a role
• - Focus on key role of Expedition/Trip Leader
• - Take account of related relevant existing
  quals and other work
• - In Unit format for each chunk of the
  role
• - New Expedition Leadership units from three
  sources
• - a) existing suitable units from outside
  SkillsActive
• - b) existing suitable units from inside
  SkillsActive
• - c) newly developed units.

8
National Occupational Standards

• What do they look like structure, content,
  scope?
• (Remembering not everyone does everything!)
• Units are structured
• - Unit Summary
• - Main Generic Skills List
• - Outcomes of Effective Performance ways of
  measuring
• - Behaviours which underpin effective
  performance
• - Knowledge and Understanding required
• Developing a functional structure for expedition
  leaders
• - Usually two choices
• - Linear through the job role as a time
  line (less complex)
• - Occupational functions acknowledging
  generic capabilities

9
National Occupational Standards

• Expeditions NOS core concept of Managing
• - Key Themes
• A Manage Planning and Review
• B Manage Resources
• C Manage People
• D Manage Risk
• E Manage the Environment
• F Manage Activities
• G Manage Communications and Information
• H Manage Ethics

10
National Occupational Standards

• Look at Two Specific Units
• A Manage Planning and Review
• B Manage Resources
• C Manage People
• C5. Allocate and monitor the progress and quality
  of work in your area of responsibility (MSC D6)
• C7. Develop policies and procedures for the
  welfare of colleagues and participants during an
  expedition (New unit)
• D Manage Risk
• E Manage the Environment
• F Manage Activities
• G Manage Communications and Information
• H Manage Ethics

11
What can NOS be used for

• Basis for qualifications development
• Mapping or benchmarking against new
  qualifications
• Making public funding argument through SQS etc
• By employers for
• - job descriptions
• - training programmes
• - staff performance review processes
• - job analysis, pay reviews etc
• New Outdoors Induction Award mapped against NOS

12

• www.skillsactive.com