National Occupational Standards for the Libraries, Archives and Information Services workforce

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National Occupational Standards for the
Libraries, Archives and Information Services
workforce
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

• Peter Ramsden
• Standards Qualifications Officer Lifelong
  Learning UK

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National Occupational Standards

• Define the competencies required in an occupation
• Describe the key activities undertaken, together
  with the required knowledge and understanding
• Developed with sector participation (employers
  and stakeholders)
• Apply across the whole of the UK
• Intended to support workforce development,
  including the benchmarking of vocational
  qualifications

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What is LLUKs role?

• Create new National Occupational Standards for
  workforce development
• Design new vocational qualifications frameworks
• Improve progression/upskilling opportunities
• Represent employer views

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What do we have?

• Inherited from isNTO (2000)
• Archives
• Information Library Services
• Records Management

• Includes Standards imported from
• Management and Leadership
• IT User
• Customer Service
• Cultural Heritage
• Retail

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The LLUK Standards Portfolio

• Community Learning
• Family Learning
• Learning and Development
• Learning Support
• Libraries, Archives and Information Services
• Teachers, Tutors and Trainers (in the Lifelong
  Learning Sector)
• Work with Parents
• Youth Work

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Development principles

• Core LAIS competencies
• Links to other relevant Standards
• Simple format usable length
• Appropriate language for all contexts
• Inclusive
• - Relevant to traditional workforce
• - Future-proofing for the emerging workforce

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The Project

• Project Steering Group employers, the
  professional bodies, national stakeholders,
  BAILER and FARMER, and trade union representation
  
• Working with SAL Associates Sandra Ward, Angela
  Abell and Liz Maclachlan

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Where are we now?

• Focus groups identified activities and initial
  groupings of Standards or areas of activity
• Standards framework tested at earlier
  consultation events
• Revised framework tested at a later event
• Draft Standards to be published on the LLUK
  website
• Mapping to LLUK and other appropriate Standards

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The new NOS framework

• Eight areas of activity
• Standards not units
• Concept of elements no longer used
• Importing of Standards
• Signposting to other Standards
• together with
• A new format for expressing Standards

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The new NOS framework

• A Planning and developing services
• B Working ethically and ensuring compliance
• C Identifying, evaluating and acquiring content
  and material
• D Creating and communicating information and
  knowledge
• E Organising and managing content and
  collections
• F Enabling access to and use of content and
  collections
• G Facilitating lifelong learning
• H Managing people to deliver services

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New national qualification frameworks

• A new national qualifications framework for
  Wales, Northern Ireland and England the
  Qualifications Credit Framework
• Articulation with the Scottish Credit
  Qualifications Framework and with HE
• Testing Trialling underway (2006-08)
• Replaces the existing NQF 2008-10 (?)

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Key features

• Qualifications built from units ( using rules of
  combination )
• Qualifications gained through credit accumulation
  and the transfer of credit
• Achievements recorded in a national learner
  record
• Demand-led more responsive to employer
  requirements and to individuals needs

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Qualifications level and name

• Qualifications will be achieved at different
  levels, described by new statements which focus
  on
• - Thinking and understanding
• - Application and performance
• - Autonomy and accountability
• Qualifications will be described as an Award,
  Certificate or Diploma depending on their size
  (credits/units)

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New opportunities

• Individuals can gain credit in a variety of
  different ways (different assessment strategies)
• Enables progression through different career
  pathways to the same qualification
• Enables the accreditation of CPD (in the
  workplace) through the award of credit
• Enhanced role for employers in qualification
  design and delivery

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Future qualifications

• A new type of VQ (available at different levels)
  that combines the best features of the existing
  NVQ and VRQ approaches
• Foundation degree a new vocational
  qualification at Level 5 awarded by a university
  and with a stronger academic knowledgebase

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A possible new qualifications framework?
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Questions / Discussion

• New Standards, New Qualifications, New Skills
• Peter Ramsden
• Standards Qualifications Team at LLUK
• 0207 936 5740
• peterramsden_at_lluk.org