Review of the Learning and Development Standards

Lifelong Learning UK has recently completed review of the National Occupational Standards for learning and development. The standards were last updated by ENTO in 2001 and the suite was reviewed to ensure they are 'fit for purpose' and reflect the functions for which they were written.

The review has been conducted in stages. The first stage involved a period of research exploring the current use of the standards, how changes in practice have impacted on the standards and how existing standards relate to the learning and development suite.

The second stage was to draft, consult on and agree the revised standards. This involved a number of consultation events and options to submit comment on the draft standards (revised based on the outputs of the first research stage). This stage also explored the qualifications to be related to the newly proposed standards.

The third stage was to develop units of assessment between January-March 2010. Draft proposals for qualifications and their units of assessment were developed and tested during consultation in February 2010. These qualifications and units of assessment are for the QCF only - it is recommended that a further consultation is held in Scotland post-April due to timescales affecting developments in Scotland.

The review has resulted in a revised suite of National Occupational standards for learning and evelopment which reflect current practice; and provides qualification details for the purposes of assessment and quality assurance.