NOS Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are National Occupational Standards?
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.
2. How can National Occupational Standards be used?
They can be used to:
-
describe good practice in particular areas of work
-
set out a statement of competence which
bring together the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to do the work
-
provide managers with a tool for a wide variety of workforce management and quality control
-
offer a framework for training and development
-
form the basis of a range of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) and a range of other vocational qualifications.
3. How do National Occupational Standards help
employers?
-
Improve quality of goods and services
-
Increase productivity
-
Reduce costs for recruitment by facilitating the selection of new employees
-
Provide a means for better human resources planning
-
Help effective skills upgrading
-
Act as a benchmark for rewarding experience, knowledge and competence.
4. How do National Occupational Standards help
employees?
-
Identify skills and knowledge needed for occupations
-
Provide a reference to assess ability and training needs
-
Identify and support career paths
-
Provide guidelines for certification/accreditation
-
Increase mobility within industries.