Helping build a resilient UK – launching a new government consultation

The Workforce Development Trust, in partnership with the UK Government, has launched a public consultation on the civil contingencies suite of National Occupational Standards (NOS) in support of the UK Government Resilience Framework. As a collective of Sector Skills Councils, incorporating Skills for Justice, Skills for Health and People 1st International, we are well placed to lead on this skills and capabilities focussed review. 

Against the backdrop of climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic enquiry, and rapid technological advancements, there is a need to increase the ability of our public and private sectors to anticipate, assess, prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from a variety of direct and indirect civil contingency risks.  

What are National Occupational Standards? 

NOS are agreed definitions of core and transferable skills that are adopted by employers and qualifications bodies across the four nations of the UK to guide and promote skills development. The current set of civil contingencies NOS applies to both the public and private sector and outlines the knowledge and skills that individuals need to perform effectively and safely in any given role.  

In light of the government’s renewed ‘whole of society’ approach to strengthening the UK’s resilience to risk, the aim of the civil contingencies NOS review is to build competency and capacity across government, industry and civil society to enable the UK to withstand and quickly recover from a crisis.  

How will the National Occupational Standards be used? 

Statements of competence and success profiles will be developed on the basis of the revised NOS to help guide recruitment, performance management, training/skills needs analysis and organisational planning and improvement activities pan-sector. Furthermore, NOS will inform the work of awarding bodies and organisations such as AQA and City & Guilds in the development of future educational and vocational qualifications. 

Cathy Gallagher, Senior Consultant at the Workforce Development Trust, who is leading on the project to review the civil contingencies suite of NOS, comments: 

“National Occupational Standards provide an employer-led, multi-sector definition of competence, setting the standards which govern and quality assure skills and skills development across the UK.  

“This review of the civil contingencies NOS represents a significant step forward in terms of the development of a UK-wide approach to resilience, providing the foundations for building skills capacity across our nations and communities to prevent critical risks from ever materialising.” 

The consultation runs from 2 August to 30 September. 

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