National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Wood Occupations Review Update from Amanda Scott, Chair of NOS Wood Occupations Review Body, and National Working Group.
It has been a privilege to lead the alignment of the NAS and the Institute of Carpenters (IOC) across all timber trades, through a constructive collaboration focused on updating and standardising wood occupation roles. Those standards include:
- Shopfitting Bench Works
- Shopfitting Site Fixers
- Site Carpentry
- Heritage Architectural Joinery
- Heritage Site Carpentry
- Heritage Structural Post and Beam Carpentry
- Light Structural Timber Framers
- Pre-assembled Roof Structure Installers
- Structural Post and Beam Carpentry
- Timber Decks and Cladding
- Timber Frame Erectors
The freely given contribution of time coupled with the breadth of knowledge of our technical specialists has been above and beyond. With so many individuals from across the NAS and IOC engaged, now 14 months into the 2-year process, we have reached significant milestones.
Since March 2024, the NOS National Working Group has held 31 two-hour sessions together and the early-stage consultations have now concluded. The full body of work is now going through the standard administration wrap up ready for the regulator, having achieved the UK 4 home nation sign off. Having worked closely with the regulator throughout the processes, we anticipate any changes to be minimal and minor.
Any eagle-eyed reader will note the omission of Wheel Writing in the NOS suite. The decision to omit was twofold – primarily, the CITB does not have any Wheel Writing company levy payers and is no longer in scope. Therefore, we have reached out to the Worshipful Company of Wheel Writes, who will undertake the setting of their own standards going forward.
We anticipate a return from the regulator over the next 4 weeks, having crossed those 2 major milestones, we go forward into the next three.
- Credit and Levelling. The National Working Group will start with an instructional session on how this is broken down before starting the exercise for each trade. Anticipated completion end date – October 2025.
- UK Government Ministerial submission and sign off.
- The final phase will see the new Wood Occupation Standards embedded into the S/NVQs and Apprenticeships – into all our Occupational Competence based Qualifications. The new set of solid competency markers will feed down into our safety passporting system, the SICCS card scheme as CSCS alliance partners.
Amanda believes, “The guardianship of the core and technical specialism standards is vital to our sector representatives and leadership, The support of our associations has been at the forefront of this big challenge ensuring a fit for purpose set of competency standards, keeping our work force not just safe but skilled, experienced, and highly competent, and ultimately for the safety of those who will operate inside our builds in the future.
The new standards will be embedded for new entrants at the start of their journey into our crafts and throughout the developing workforce, becoming the much-needed expert craftspeople of the future.”
For further detailed information please contact amanda.scott@shopfitters.org
