Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills) is raising the profile of its national occupation standards by encouraging companies throughout the utilities industries to use them within their organisations to support personal development activities.
National Occupational Standards (NOS) describe what an individual needs to do, know and understand in order to carry out a particular job role or function. They are developed by people in our industries under the guidance of EU Skills. They are then put through a formal approval process - backed by the government and its devolved administrations for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland - to make sure they reflect industry practices across the whole UK.
What do they cover?
EU Skills remit includes the role of standards setting body for the gas,power, waste management, and water industries. We currently have 26 suites of NOS across these industries - for example the suite for Gas Network Operations covering both servicelaying and mainlaying. The suites are made up from clusters of units which reflect broad areas of work in the utilities industries. Each unit covers a coherent aspect of a work role - for example "Replace assembly or sub-assembly components".
How do NOS help employers?
Some of the benefits employers have cited include improved quality of goods and services, increased productivity, less risk of a breach of regulations, a more robust "due diligence" defence should things go wrong, reduction of costs for recruitment by facilitating the selection of new employees, helping effective skills upgrading, acting as a benchmark for rewarding experience, knowledge and competence.
Another example where NOS are being used is the new Framework for Competent Operators - for people in water treatment works - which has been introduced in response to changes to the Water Act which allows new entrants into the water supply business. The Framework was designed by representatives from UK water companies, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, and EU Skills. Companies using in-house training schemes will be required to map them against the NOS and gain approval by EU Skills in our role as the standard setting body for the water industry.
How do NOS help employees?
Individual employees can use NOS to identify and support their career paths, identify skills and knowledge needed for different occupations, assess their own ability and training needs, and increase their chances of mobility within industries.
How can NOS be used?
NOS describe good practice in particular areas of work and they can be used by anyone to design their own training, development or assessment needs. Each unit sets out a statement of competence which brings together the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to do the work. The standards provide managers with a tool for a wide variety of workforce management and quality control as well as offering a framework for training and development. National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) - nationally-recognised qualifications which are used within apprenticeships (also known as Modern Apprenticeships or Traineeships in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) - are only one use of NOS.
How can I get copies of NOS?
They are available on the NOS database - a directory which covers almost all areas of industry and commerce within the UK. The directory is internet-based, searchable, and accessible by anyone at; www.ukstandards.org If you do a search of Energy & Utility Skills in the directory you will see a list of the units which are most applicable to utilities companies. The NOS can be downloaded without charge.
Alternatively view the EU Skills Standards and Qualifications Search to easily search for Standards which then link directly to the relevant page on UK Standards website.
