ICS develops and maintains the National Occupational Standards for both Customer Service and Contact Centres.
Overview
National Occupational Standards (NOS) define the levels of performance required from an individual to demonstrate competence within specific occupations. The Standards consist of written statements, describing in detail the key knowledge, understanding, skills and values that demonstrate effective performance within working roles, including any statutory, Health & Safety, or legal responsibilities.
How the NOS are developed
NOS are developed in consultation with representatives from the relevant industry sector, including employers, occupational experts and practitioners, and are used as part of the government-regulated system of vocational qualifications in the UK. They form the basis of Vocationally-Related Qualifications (VRQs) and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Scotland.
What the NOS are used for
The NOS provide an industry-recognised reference framework that can be used for a variety of purposes. They are recognised as being particularly useful within the areas of recruitment and training & development, where they can be used to:
- define the scope and focus of job roles
- write and review job descriptions
- assess staff
- benchmark individual performance
- identify individual training and development needs
- design and develop in-house training programmes / training materials
- set and appraise individual or team objectives
- align individual and team targets to organisational goals
- ensure best practice at work
- help an organisation meet the indicators for external accreditation
- assure quality of staff performance