Standards

Improve Completes Review of Food and Drink Standards

After two years of hard work and widespread consultation with industry, Improve is delighted to announce that the review of standards, including the development of new standards required by industry, is now complete and the Standards have been approved.  A very big thank you to everyone who contributed to their development. 

The National Occupational Standards are now available to download from www.ukstandards.org.uk

Future Developments

From October 2007, Improve will commence the development of standards for the following sub sectors:

• Sweet confectionery
• Brewing
• Milling and Cereals
• Dairy
• Seafood processing

For further information, please email sally.jenkins@improveltd.co.uk

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. The Standards are available from level one - basic operations, to level four - supervisory and technical. The National Occupational Standards are developed with employers and detail what skills, knowledge and understanding individuals need to carry out their job effectively.

What are standards for?

Standards have lots of uses including:

• Developing job descriptions and the requirements to do that job 
• Help in appraising existing staff and identifying areas of development
• Support staff moving in to a new job role by clearly outlining what is required of them
• Develop qualifications like NVQs, SVQs and VRQs
• Standards can save time and money by ensuring that the right person is recruited first time and that current staff gets the support and development they need to contribute to their company’s success.

Where can I find out more?

For further information on National Occupational Standards across all Sectors visit the NOS Directory. The National Occupational Standards Directory provides free public access to the full range of Standards, signposting users of the website to the relevant Sector Skills Council or standards setting body for further information. This will be the first time that people can access all Standards from one place and is a useful tool for a range of people including employers, individuals, education and training providers, partners and funders.

The website provides information on National Occupational Standards, including their uses and benefits, as well as latest news on developments. The website also enables users to search for and access the National Occupational Standards that match their requirements. Visit www.ukstandards.org.uk for further information.

To download our brochure on the Sector Qualifcations Strategy please click here.