Consultation on the National Occupational Standards for Technical Theatre

27 September 2010 09.55 BST

Creative & Cultural Skills (CCSkills) is undertaking a major review of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for technical theatre.

Alex Hitchcock, training development manager at Stage Technologies with two decades of training and automation programming under his belt, has written and collated the draft version of the automation NOS for technical theatre, in consultation with other industry stakeholders, and as part of the NOS development working group.

These NOS modules are now available on the CCSkills website and industry professionals are being actively encouraged to provide initial comment and consultations. ‘It is vitally important,’ says Hitchcock, ‘that the modules are reviewed and commented on by as many individuals, automation professionals and interested parties as possible, to ensure that the NOS become a relevant tool for all employees and employers within automation.

The National Occupational Standards aim to provide a clear description of what you need to know and what you need to be able to do to perform a job successfully. They can help with recruitment, performance monitoring, and training planning and will offer guidelines for anyone employed or working with automation in entertainment in the UK.’
 
CCSKills is working in a broader capacity with key industry partners to develop National Occupational Standards for the whole range of creative and cultural industries. Their aim: to provide consistent and relevant guidance on how employers and staff are performing compared with other businesses in that sector. National Occupational Standards will also form the basis of occupational qualifications.

When completed in February, the standards will provide benchmarks against which to measure employee skills as well as a reference for training and continued professional development.

So now is your chance! Have your say on issues and guidelines that will affect your future in automation! To take part in the consultation, visit www.ccskills.org.uk/Standards/Consultations/tabid/851/Default.aspx before 30th September.

How will automation NOS for technical theatre benefit our market sector?
 
• NOS will provide a measure and recognition of competence for the many individuals currently working within automation
• Automation will become recognised as a unique skill set
• NOS will provide a map for career paths, CPD and training
• Technical colleges will have a quantifiable measure and clear understanding of the skills that employers might expect
• Employers will have a defined reference of automation skills
• Health and safety will be improved as better training and more focused management becomes available
• NOS will allow greater clarity and definition of job descriptions and roles
• The current skills gap will be minimised as an increased number of better trained staff enter the market
• The disparity in skill sets across current automation staff will be recognised, allowing a more unified approach to continued professional development
• The standardisation of skill sets across employee roles will help to improve health and safety