5 What are the benefits of using National Occupational Standards?

National Occupational Standards are recognised as the benchmarks of good practice in all types of work in the UK. Many organisations are looking for evidence that people can work in line with National Occupational Standards when recruiting new staff, or seeking to fill a post through internal promotion.

Benefits for individuals

For individuals, National Occupational Standards
  • Support their professional development
  • Open up a wider range of career possibilities
  • Help them transfer competence to other jobs or work contexts
  • Give them confidence they are working to best practice standards
  • Help them speak with authority and present a professional image

Benefits for line managers

For line managers, National Occupational Standards

  • Ensure their staff are clear about their responsibilities and competent to carry them out
  • Provide a ready-made framework for performance management and appraisal
  • Make assessment an integral part their work
  • Help them provide specific feedback designed to improve performance
  • Allow them to delegate responsibility to staff with confidence
  • Ensure their staff comply with legal and organisational requirements

Benefits for the organisation

For organisations, National Occupational Standards

  • Provide an integrated structure for human resource management and development
  • Align individual effort with organisational goals and targets
  • Help develop and retain a highly skilled, motivated and flexible workforce
  • Assure the quality required to win and retain contracts
  • Provide a common language and standards of quality in partnerships
  • Enhance public confidence and understanding of the organisation and the sector