II Aspire has been granted a contract from Skills Development Scotland to carry out a review of the Mechanical Fire Protection National Occupational Standards (NOS) last reviewed in 2014.
As these standards are applicable across the United Kingdom, they will be working with a range of national and local organizations from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
National Occupational Standards
National Occupational Standards (NOS) specify the standards of performance individuals must achieve in the workplace, together with the knowledge and understanding required for roles, for most employment sectors including Mechanical Fire Protection.
They are often used as the building blocks in the development of qualifications made available through Awarding Bodies.
II Aspire will be seeking views on whether the current standards are fit for purpose or whether they should be amended.
The three stages
There are three stages of potential involvement:
- Steering Group: This will consist of one person/two people from each nation to represent the views of their region. They will advise and give direction on content, suggest solutions to any issues and sign off on final drafts of NOS. The first meeting is likely to take place in September, the second in October/November with the requirement for a final meeting early in 2022.
- Working Group: There will be online focus groups with practitioners in each nation. Each focus group will be of around 20 people and they will work through the NOS, giving suggested amendments and will identify gaps in content and any requirement for the development of new NOS. These are likely to be half day meetings
- Survey Consultees: Once draft revised NOS have been prepared, they will be sent for wider consultation on the content via online questionnaire. This is likely to be around November and this gives the opportunity for wider views to be sought.