Radiation Protection
For the related questionnaire click here

Safety Case Preparation
For the related questionnaire click here

Higher Level Nuclear Decommissioning.   

These projects will progress throughout 2005. Industry Working Groups have been put together from nominees by interested companies and there is a Steering Group for the whole project.

The standards follow work which has been in progress for the last few years. In 2002 the DTI Nuclear Skills report recommended the promotion of National Occupational Standards within the Nuclear Industry. Following this The Nuclear Employers Steering Group (NESG) was convened in 2003 to oversee the implementation of the recommendations from the report. As part of this in 2004, a functional and occupational mapping project was completed for the nuclear industry. This project recognised a need for the development of NOS in Radiation Protection, Safety Case Preparation and Nuclear Decommissioning.

For further information on the progress of these projects, including the functional map and how to get involved click here

The Nuclear Technology Education Consortium, NTEC, has been formed with the objective of delivering Masters’ level courses in Nuclear Science & Technology.

Drawing upon the wide range of expertise within the consortium, whose members represent more than 90% of the nuclear postgraduate teaching expertise residing in the UK’s universities and research institutes, this programme offers a broad portfolio of topics ranging from nuclear physics through to decommissioning and waste disposal. 

The structure and syllabus was developed in close cooperation with the UK nuclear industry in order to ensure relevance to the end users’ needs.

This innovative programme is available on a full-time or part-time basis and leads to an M.Sc. in Nuclear Science & Technology.  However the great flexibility offered by the ‘short fat’ modular structure allows individual units to be taken for Continuing Professional Development purposes.

The UK nuclear sector is extremely supportive of this initiative which is seen to be a valuable element in addressing the anticipated skills shortage in this area.

The programme will be starting in September 2005 and applications are now being accepted.

Full details can be found on the programme website at www.ntec.ac.uk

The report revealed a number of important conclusions. It confirmed that the sector is of critical importance to the East of England and has huge scope for further development in existing and new forms of energy. It also confirmed that while the sector is diverse, there are many core skills required which apply to it as a whole.

Cogent has been coordinating the Skills for Energy Project since November 2003.   It is a strategic project involving Cogent, EU Skills, ECITB, SEMTA and other regional partners.  Its aim is to address the skills issues currently facing the energy sector in the East of England.

The first phase of this project was completed with the launch of the report at a dinner, breakfast and workshop in Great Yarmouth.  The event was attended by business leaders, Sector Skills Councils, representatives from the DTI, the Regional Development Agency, the LSC and other partners and stakeholders. 

Keynote speeches were given by John Ramsay, Chief Executive of  Cogent Sector Skills Council  and Chris Paveley, East of England Development Agency Board Member.   Both speakers welcomed the Report and spoke of the need for its recommendations to be acted on without delay.

Commitments

A key feature of the workshop was the lively discussion that took place in the groups facilitated by Kevin Keable from Oilennium.   The main themes included attracting the future workforce, which was introduced by Cogent Nuclear Adviser John Haddon, workforce competence introduced by Keith Gordon from Petrofac and education/employer interface introduced by Perry Mann, a student from the University of East Anglia.

Participants called for concerted action in schools starting with primary schools in order to attract the workforce of the future.  They agreed that employers needed to get involved and help develop a ‘co-ordinated campaign of positive stories’.  

The participants also agreed that workforce competence was an investment and that its promotion needed to be ‘industry driven’ with employer champions taking the lead and sharing the success stories of competency programmes.  There was also group consensus that the bureaucracy associated with qualifications and accreditation needed to be streamlined and reduced and incentive schemes needed to be introduced for SMEs.

The participants put forward many ideas for improving the links between employers and the education world. One possible solution was the establishment of a training providers’ forum as a first step to developing a wider forum with employers so that providers and employers could ‘jointly plan’ training solutions to meet employer needs.

Everyone present was asked to make a commitment to support the implementation of the next stage of the project and over half filled out commitment sheets.  Seven employers agreed to be ‘employer champions’ to lead the next stage of the work.

Since the workshop the partnership has been busy making plans for Phase 2 including sourcing funding and setting up the Skills for Energy Website http://www.skillsforenergy.com

Click here for an analysis of the employer commitments made.

Further information can be obtained from Liz Johnson, Cogent Sector Skills Council 07715 014099 or Mike Carney, EU Skills, 07770234878 

This news comes as a great boost to the four main parties involved with the Skills for Energy Project, (ECITB, Cogent, EU Skills and SEMTA) as the funds will allow Phase II to proceed in full and address the action points which arose from the launch in February.

Together with its employer champions, regional partners EEEGR, Norfolk LSC and Renewables East the Partnership looks forward to working with all interested companies and organisations in the East of England to help deliver this exciting project over the next two years.

Its members are key employers in the north east, with over 34,000 people employed directly and a further 200,000 people employed in support companies. These companies are spread across the entire region and are located in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and Tees Valley. NEPIC will represent over 350 member organisations with a combined economic power of £8 billion.

The companies in the new cluster are from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and chemical sectors and include some of the best known business names in the region. They are working together to drive increased investment and prosperity to this key sector.

NEPIC will promote new industry projects, influence investment in existing companies, attract more science-based companies to the region, foster more R&D, improve manufacturing capability, develop programmes to improve skills, raise the industry profile and will create more jobs.

The new organisation has been formed from the merger of the Pharmaceutical & Speciality (P&S) Cluster based in Tyne & Wear and the Teesside Chemical Initiative (TCI) located in Tees Valley. In recent months their activities have led to many successful investments across the region. For example, supporting the launch of Aesica Pharmaceuticals in Northumberland, which safeguarded 145 jobs and created a world-class company. Helping SSL International in Peterlee with recruitment and funding to create more jobs and improve profitability. Securing the investment by Huntsman Petrochemicals in a new polyethylene plant at Wilton to create 117 jobs and underpin a further 750.  NEPIC will build on these strengths to create many more success stories across the North East.

NEPIC will also have a major impact on schools and universities, aiming to attract students to study science and take up careers in our science-based companies. It will work closely with the new Science Learning Centre North East located in Framwellgate, Durham to improve science teaching in our schools, encourage young people to enter the industry and to improve the perception of science. NEPIC will also play an active part to improve the skills of people in the industry by working closely with the Learning and Skills Council and the Sector Skills Councils, including Cogent SSC.

The NEPIC Leadership Team will be chaired by Bob Coxon (pictured) and will include sixteen other business leaders drawn from key companies across the region. In addition, all the major public sector bodies relating to this industry are already closely involved to develop, deliver and support the NEPIC.

Cogent is one of a number of partner organisations, including the North West Development Agency and the British Nuclear Group, to sponsor the Energyforesight Programme which is aimed at bringing a fresh approach to science teaching in the 2006 schools curriculum.

The review, which was in the form of a survey of teachers and students who took part in the pilot, showed that Energyforesight is already revitalising the science curriculum. Over three quarters of the teachers who took part in one of a number of professional development days, rated the day as very good. Comments included:

“The day gave me a clearer view of the energy debate and its implications in the next few years - what is predicted, and what needs to happen.”

“They (the DVDs) are up to date. My present radiation videos are very old and the approach is old fashioned.”

“Really liked the ’real world’ aspects in terms of careers.”

The teachers taking part also commented that they found the experience of piloting the modules to be a positive experience. They found that the students were much more engaged with science and were motivated by the new and more relevant resources.

The students too were positive. There were significant shifts in favour of physics after their experience. The greatest change took place among students in the higher ability group and among female students.  Students also felt more able to understand issues and different points of view about the uses of radioactivity in medicine and the future of the nuclear industry.

Cogent has supported the introduction of three nuclear-related teaching modules, within a 12 strong module resource, aimed at making science relevant to the 21st Century. Phil Attwood, Cogent Nuclear Skills Adviser said: "the Energyforesight initiative is clearly set to positively promote career opportunities in science and engineering based industries. The dramatic increase in the number of students electing to take science at AS level (up from 6% to 12%) following the Energyforesight experience will provide a greater skill pool of qualified engineers and scientists that the UK will need in the coming years."

The programme ranges from the use of radioactive material in medicine through to the decommissioning of nuclear sites. It includes DVDs and online resources and will be launched across UK schools in 2005/2006. It also looks at the careers opportunities that working with radioactive materials offers.

The Cogent SSA is now underway, and is dependent on robust labour market information, including the current skills needs of the polymer industries, and the sector’s predicted needs in the medium and longer term. Its success will depend on the support and input of trade associations and employer groups whose representatives make up the Executive Group.

The SSA is investigating the current training provision - right across the polymer skills set - from both public and private providers. It will match this provision to current needs, and will indicate where future needs will require changes in provision. Cogent will broker the development of a costed action plan, detailing the contribution expected from all parties to the agreement, in order to maintain and enhance workforce competency and productivity in the light of predicted scientific and technological changes.

At its inaugural meeting each group member expressed their views about current workforce development issues and perceptions including: skills, leadership and management development, business and continuous improvement, commercial knowledge and awareness, technical knowledge and awareness, sales and marketing knowledge, communication and supervisory/team leadership

Philip Marchant, Chair and MD, Marchant Manufacturing  said: “It is clear that some companies in our sector, particularly at the SME level, do not see the benefits of training  or never measure the benefits. They often feel squeezed financially which inevitably leads to a reduction or elimination in spend on marketing and training.

“This means that they are often unable to diversify into new products, applications or materials, which in turn means they remain at the bottom of the value chain.

“In addition, many need to develop a more robust strategic planning process, which includes workforce development. If companies are not adding value off the back of a well thought-out strategy, they must revisit the strategy or at least develop one in the first place. Ultimately it is innovation and leadership that is the key to keeping talented people in our industry.”

The group also agreed that the plethora of Awards for individuals or companies must be listed and examined. They concurred that the current regime does not necessarily make best use of sponsorship finances and often duplicates activities.

Philip Marchant added: “We must also consider the re-introduction of the Polymer Technician Award Scheme as this provided the leaders of the future. There is currently nothing which matches this excellent model.”

Brian Manning, Cogent Polymer Skills Adviser, stepped up to the stage at Friday night’s Award’s dinner at the London Hilton to present Leah with her award, he said: “This year has set new standards in the number and quality of entrants. The candidates straddled training and development across many disciplines to include, tool-making, project engineering, quality engineering, pigment formulation & colour matching and in the case of the winner Leah, composites processing. Thanks must also go to the PMMDA for awarding a cheque of £1000 to the winner of this category.

Plastics and Rubber Weekly magazine reported that fierce competition from a breadth of disciplines made the judging for this category extremely challenging this year. The resulting shortlist of five candidates were interviewed by a panel of judges at the PDM exhibition in Telford.

The judges said this year's winner had the makings of a company and industry champion - in the same way she currently acts as a champion for young people and, in particular, women in the polymer industry. They remarked that Leah Groves - just 17 when she joined SP Systems' apprenticeship programme as an apprentice composites technician last August - was "a very confident and mature individual for her young years".

Leah is spending her foundation year studying for an engineering BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) at the Isle of Wight college. During her semester breaks she works at SP's St Cross site in Newport and is currently gaining experience in the process engineering department. From August Leah will study part-time.

Leah impressed the judges from the start. Their first question was: "What exactly are composites?". Leah responded by producing a range of composite samples and described the materials and stages required to form a composite from resin and woven materials - including glass, carbon fibre and Kevlar.

During the first year of her apprenticeship, Leah completed pallet truck training, health and safety training and has also concentrated on lean manufacturing - achieving "best practice" manufacturing skills already. She produced a manufacturing report, which impressed her mentor and management, as it questioned a working practice on a machine.

Her researched suggestions saved the company money with only a small investment and also made her colleagues' working environment easier. The judges remarked that Leah was adamant that more young people should enter the industry - in particular women. And she is doing something to ensure this happens - by presenting at careers road-shows for Island schools.

When Leah completes her HND she will start a foundation degree in composites design and manufacture.  She's no stranger to the spotlight - she recently won the Isle of Wight College's Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year 2003/4 award.

Best Training and Development

Daniels Healthcare won the Best Training and Development Programme category, for which Brian Manning was the Chair of the Judging Panel. He congratulationed the finalists for Best Training and Development Programme - Kostal UK Ltd, Daniels Healthcare Ltd and HBC Engineering Solutions.

“Cogent SSC acknowledge the investment made by each organisation into developing its workforce. It is obvious that this investment has had considerable payback both in terms of company productivity improvements and also employee participation in assisting the change process. The winner, Daniels Healthcare Ltd showed tangible & measurable improvements in production efficiency and reductions in employee absenteeism.”

Daniels Healthcare (DHL) was shortlisted for the award three times before taking the top spot. The company manufactures sharps and clinical waste containers for the safe disposal of syringes, needles and clinical waste. It employs 80 staff over two sites - with a manufacturing plant in Kidlington, Oxford, and a head office in Tring, Hertfordshire.

Today, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire with modern, IT orientated offices and an 11-acre production site just north of Grantham, Vacu-Lug employs some 220 people in sales, technical services, logistics, production and support functions. Vacu-Lug is still a privately owned  company and is the largest independent commercial retreader in Europe - still owned by the founding family, producing over a quarter of a million truck retreads a year.

Around four years ago the Company found itself in a very difficult business environment, mainly as a result of large imports of cheap tyres from overseas.  The company’s performance suffered as a result and a number of cost-cutting measures were taken including redundancy. Vacu-Lug took the opportunity to revisit its business strategy, and instead of concentrating solely on selling directly, the company now works to secure large and more profitable contracts with companies such as Biffa, ONYX, TDG.

This has proved a winning formula and this together with Managing Director Tim Hercock’s progressive approach, has seen the Company go from strength to strength. Mr Hercock joined Vacu-Lug in 1992 and is working closely with   HR Manager June Parker (pictured), who joined 12 months ago; to develop a people strategy designed to move the business forward.

June explains: “What was needed as a matter of urgency was the ‘feel good factor’ - an environment in which people look forward to coming to work, feel involved and appreciated. Concerns about job security had resulted in an urgent need to improve employee relations.”

Award

This need to ‘pull together’ and work towards the Company’s business objectives is now fully recognised and a comprehensive training programme based on TNA and appraisals has now been introduced and morale is much improved. One of the direct results of this is that last year Vacu-Lug won the Grantham Journal Business of the Year Award.

The Vacu-Lug workforce development strategy has played a major role in winning this award.   A range of management training initiatives are now in place including IT skills, people management skills and team working skills.

June said: “Previously Vacu-Lug had operated across different sites and so we needed to quickly get people working together in teams. This Team Building training, which takes place off site, will help us improve our ability to work together and get results.”

IT skills were also a pressing need and June is delighted to report that much of this is being funded by the local Learning and Skills Council and delivered by Yes 4 Learning which is attached to Grantham College.

Supervisors and Team Leaders are also undergoing training and development in motivation and leadership skills. This is very much the starting point and such development will be on a continuous basis. The Team Leaders who attended the course last year are now implementing real-life projects designed to put the training and development into practice.

As well as on-the-job training on the equipment, Production Operatives are undergoing training in manual handling and health and safety. Plans are also in place for Operatives to undertake City and Guilds Part 1 later in the year.

Vacu-Lug has also boosted internal staff communications with quarterly presentations from MD Tim Hercock and a commitment to greater transparency about the external business environment. Relations with representatives of the GMB Union are good and there is a real feeling of working together for long term business success.

Vacu-Lug’s involvement in the Lincolnshire and Rutland Polymer Network, co-ordinated by Cogent SSC and the LSC, has paid real dividends.  June says: “The network has helped us identify and source funding for training and development. We are classed as an SME and so are eligible for a number of different funding streams - but it’s a pretty complex maze to negotiate.”

One of the most immediate benefits of the new approach to people development is a tremendous improvement in recruitment. June said: “Once upon a time when we advertised for a Production Operative we might get one or two applicants, more recently we received 75 applications for the same job.”

Indeed succession planning is critical to Vacu-Lug’s continued success. Many of the employees have been with the company since leaving school in the 1970s and so the company is working to bring younger people on board - and to ensure that important knowledge is passed on.

June adds: “We are all working towards the same business goals and importantly our people strategy is connected to our commercial strategy. Securing the company’s future through a customer focused approach is now a collective endeavour that everyone understands.”

Cogent Sector Skills Council Team Leader for the Midlands, Bill Erskine said: "The revised business strategy adopted by Vacu-Lug,  with an integrated programme of skills development, has proved highly successful. They are benefiting from their membership of the Polymer Employer Network in the East Midlands which reviews "best practice" initiatives being adopted by leading businesses and which has attracted record levels of funding to support investment in workforce development."

Established in 1945, the Horners Annual Plastics Award has thrived under the joint administration of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) and The Worshipful Company of Horners. The diverse range of entries has consistently impressed judges and this high standard is anticipated to continue in 2005.

Previous winners include the Topper Sailing Dinghy, Vent-Axia’s whole house heat recovery system and most recently “The Eglu” chicken hutch developed by Omlet Ltd for urban dwellers. “The Eglu” impressed judges with its unique concept and distinctive form. Speaking on how the Award had helped his company, Omlet Director Simon Nichols stated:

"To win the Horners Award was not only a tremendous accolade, it also gave great impetus to the product and company during our formative stage".

The deadline for receipt of 2005 entries is Monday 8th August. The Award is formally presented to the winner by The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of London at the annual Banquet of the Horners Company due to take place on Thursday 6th October.

The Worshipful Company of Horners and the British Plastics Federation invite entries. For an application form and further details contact Hannah Price at the BPF on 020 7457 5032 or e-mail [email protected]

British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry - representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers. 

Commenting on his appointment, Dave said “I look forward to building upon the excellent work that UKPIA has been doing under Ken’s Presidency and looking at some of the strategic issues facing the downstream oil industry. The industry has developed a first-rate refining and supply infrastructure over the years, as a well as  investing heavily to produce cleaner fuels and meet tighter environmental standards. It is vital for the security of the UK’s energy supplies that the downstream oil sector remains in a healthy state to meet the changing needs of the transport fuels market.”

The MDT Innovation Forum is a powerful networking event for the medical device and in vitro diagnostic design and manufacturing community.

The forum provides an opportunity for industry professionals, R&D, Medical Practitioners to explore:

• Exposing clinical need to potential product designers and manufacturers.
• Providing access to the research community and other innovators for the design, manufacture and packaging of medical devices.
• Offering match-making that brings companies together to explore collaboration opportunities, including outsourcing.
• Giving entry information for manufacturers seeking to enter the medical market.
• Funding, collaboration and intellectual property implications.

Brian Manning said: “Having knowledge of the growing opportunities in this critical market, will allow Cogent to examine the future skills and knowledge needs impacting upon the  polymer sector and incorporate them into the Sector Skills Agreement - the new contract between employers and education  and training providers”

To learn more about the Medical Devices Technology Forum visit: www.mdtforum.com

Over sixty percent of those responding were familiar with Sector Skills Agreements and over 70 per cent had a training and development strategy. Fifty three percent of those responding had an in-house design department and thirty per cent recruit graduates.

Just over half of those surveyed that have an in-house tooling facility utilise it for tool repair and refurbishment together with minor modifications to new “commissioned” tools. Sixty five per cent of the respondents source the manufacture of new tooling from various regions around the world, predominantly Europe and the Far East.

Cogent Polymer Skills Adviser, Brian Manning said: “PDM gave us the opportunity to obtain a useful snapshot of what is going on in terms of design and tooling. One of the major challenges for our industry is to up the ante on its design capability in order to respond to the demand for more sophisticated products in a range of sectors.”

As part of this exercise Cogent selected at random, one of the completed questionnaires. It is pleased to announce that Mr Gareth Williams a Sub Shift Leader at T.P.Mouldings was drawn from the hat. Gareth will now receive a complimentary Ferrari experience, which includes an introduction to circuit techniques and a high speed passenger ride with a professional driver.

During the four day stay, as well as visiting Cogent, the group went to see Petrofac Training, RGIT Montrose Training Solutions and Robert Gordon University. Aberdeen City Council hosted a dinner for the group mid way through their UK stay. The Northern Offshore Federation (NOF) also organised a day’s programme in the North East which included a visit to the Faraday Centre.

Petrobras Operational Practices Manager, Francisco Crisostomo, was particularly keen to understand more about Cogent Standards of Competence and how the application of Occupational and Emergency Response Standards would develop the Petrobras workforce.

The OPITO Emergency Response Standards are now delivered in 17 countries, bringing a commonality to Offshore Emergency Response training which is globally recognised and delivers real value to the industry.

Petrobras is Brazil’s leading power company and operates in several areas in the sector, ranging from oil and gas exploration, refining, and supply through to distribution. The company supplies almost the entire demand of the Brazilian market for petroleum byproducts. Petrobras has one of the highest ratios of proven to undeveloped reserves of any company in the world.

The report, which was supported by the Learning and Skills Council, was initiated by employers in the local polymer and chemical networks, who had expressed difficulties with recruitment and retention. These problems were directly affecting the capacity of some employers to take advantage of increased customer demand, as well as impacting on productivity and efficiency.

The report was aimed at:

• Investigating perceived barriers to recruitment and retention of employees into the industries;
• Identifying key factors influencing recruitment/retention;
• Determining conclusions and recommendations; and
• Establishing an Action Plan to address the findings.

A total of 19 employers from across the East Midlands took part, with the majority being private limited companies.  All of the employers are members of an industry network or trade association linked with skills and learning issues. 

Findings

In a climate of very low unemployment (nationally 4.7%, but within the East Midlands only 4.2% ), 42% of the respondents felt recruitment posed only a low level problem.  However, a further 53% reported significant or major recruitment difficulties.  Only 5% of respondents felt recruitment posed no problem for the company.

All but one of the respondents has attempted to fill vacancies within the previous 12 months.  Overall, recruitment for level 3 positions was felt by the majority companies to pose a significant problem, whilst the remaining levels were categorised on average as posing a low degree of difficulty.

Companies reported varying lengths of time taken to recruit individuals into posts across the different occupational levels.  On average, employers take between 2 and 4 weeks to recruit into a level 1 position, between 4 and 6 weeks for a level 2 position, and between 6 and 8 weeks for positions at levels 3, 4 and 5.  The highest figure quoted amongst the responses was that of 6 months taken to recruit level 3 Drivers and Maintenance Engineers.

The majority of employers felt that the most significant impact of recruitment difficulties on their business was the detrimental effect on existing staff in terms of increased sick leave, lack of morale/ commitment. 

In total, 79% of the respondents felt that the level/impact of recruitment difficulties has worsened during the last 5 years.  Interestingly, none of the respondents felt that recruitment difficulties are an issue affecting only their company.  In fact, 67% felt that they were affecting their particular region and a further 33% felt they were an issue that was affecting the industry as a whole.

Retention

Here, only 16% of respondents felt that they had no problems.  A further 53% felt they experienced a low level problem.  A total of 31% of respondents felt retention was a significant or major problem for the company. All of the respondents have experienced labour turnover within the previous 12 months. 

The majority of employers felt that the most significant impact of retention difficulties on their business was the detrimental effect on existing staff in terms of increased sick leave, lack of morale/commitment.  Interestingly, unlike the response in relation to recruitment, respondents also highlighted a reduction in the quality of products/ services provided to the client as a significant outcome of retention difficulties

In total, 63% of the respondents felt that the level/impact of recruitment difficulties has worsened during the last 5 years.  Only 12% of the respondents felt that recruitment difficulties are an issue affecting only their company, whilst 29% felt that they were affecting their region.  A further 59% of respondents stated they felt recruitment difficulties were an issue that was affecting the industry as a whole.

Recommendations

Following the conclusions of the work, there were several recommendations for further action which would benefit from the continued involvement of and partnership with the employer networks and the Learning and Skills Council.  These are:

• to increase volume of recruits in younger age categories;
• to examine potential to raise the profile of the company locally/nationally;
• to examine potential to recruit from non-traditional sources;
• to review potential to upskill the existing workforce; and
• to review existing employee communication/training and development policies.

Dawn Allen, Cogent Research and Policy Adviser, who supervised the work said: “An action plan has now been developed to address these recommendations. This will itself be subject to review, comment and agreement at subsequent employer network meetings.

“Cogent SSC would like to thank all employers who provided the data in the report and thanks go to other organisations who contributed, notably jobcentreplus and recruitment agencies.

“Finally, we would like to thank LSC Lincolnshire and Rutland for co-ordinating this Project on behalf of all LSCs based in the East Midlands.”

For a full copy of the report click here

Regular features include:

• News about current projects and initiatives
• Forthcoming conferences and events
• Vacancies and appointments from across the network
• News round-up on learning and skills issues

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The new National Occupational Standards (NOS) Directory will be launched in August this year. However the website can be accessed from now onwards, during its evolving stages, via www.ukstandards.org.uk.   The Skills for Business network would welcome your feedback on the site.

The NOS Directory provides free public access to the full range of National Occupational 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 NOS 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.

Polymer Processing and Signmaking

During 2004 Cogent reviewed the National Occupational Standards for ‘Polymer Processing and Related Operations’ and ‘Signmaking’. These have now been approved by SQA and QCA and are being presented for accreditation as S and NVQs by Skills Assurance Services Ltd.

Apprenticeship Frameworks

Cogent is working with OFTEC and the BSGA to develop apprenticeship frameworks for Oil-fired Technical Services and Signmaking respectively. It is planned to have these available to employers and training providers for an August/September intake.

For further information  especially on how to get involved with any of the above please contact Peter Crowther on 01224 787824 or [email protected]