Embedding the Resilience and Emergencies National Occupational Standards in practice

Occupational standards are already familiar across many professions. In Worcestershire, many of the staff involved in emergency response roles come from a wide range of professional backgrounds including HR, finance and other corporate services. These staff are often already used to working with occupational standards in their primary roles.

This meant the National Occupational Standards provided a framework that people could easily understand and engage with. The revised Resilience and Emergencies NOS, now structured around 11 focused core standards, made them easier to work with in practice. This created an opportunity to align training, development and operational roles with a nationally recognised framework.

Worcestershire County Council focused on keeping implementation straightforward and practical. The team introduced a number of simple steps to integrate the NOS into learning, development and training.

• Understanding the standards:
  

  The first step was reviewing the revised standards and breaking them down into two key elements: knowledge requirements and skills and behaviours. This helped translate the standards into practical capability areas.

• Creating a simple self-assessment tool:
  

  A spreadsheet-based self-assessment tool was developed using the NOS as the framework. Staff were asked to rate themselves on a scale of 1–10 against each element. Importantly, the process was positioned as a development tool rather than a test. The aim was to support conversations about capability and identify areas where individuals and the organisation could continue to build skills. The self-assessment was initially introduced for emergency planning specialists and duty officers, with plans to expand it to all staff involved in on-call response roles.

• Mapping standards to roles:

  The NOS were also mapped against different operational roles, including emergency planning specialists, tactical commanders and strategic leaders. This helped identify which standards were most relevant for each role and ensured development activity focused on the capabilities required in practice.

• Aligning training with the standards:
  

  Training procurement was another key area where the NOS were embedded. When commissioning training for on-call staff and commanders, providers were asked to demonstrate how their courses aligned with the relevant NOS. This approach ensures that training directly supports nationally recognised capabilities and helps staff understand which areas of the standards they are strengthening through each course.

• Using the standards to identify development needs:

  The NOS also provided a useful framework for identifying areas where further capability development would be beneficial. For example, recovery capability emerged as an area where additional training would support staff confidence and preparedness.

• Embedding into professional development:

  The self-assessment process has now been incorporated into regular development discussions with staff. As part of six-monthly performance reviews, the NOS are used to guide conversations about continuing professional development.

Looking ahead, the standards are also expected to inform role design and job descriptions as part of wider organisational changes linked to local government reorganisation.

Embedding the NOS has delivered several practical benefits for the organisation.

Firstly, the standards provide a clear national benchmark for capability. This has helped demonstrate the value of investing in training and development aligned to recognised standards.

Secondly, training provision has become more structured and consistent. Commanders who previously received informal internal briefings now attend dedicated training aligned with national standards. Training has also been commissioned jointly with neighbouring councils, helping to strengthen capability and consistency across organisations.

Finally, the NOS have provided a clear structure for professional development, helping staff understand the knowledge and skills required to support effective emergency response and recovery.

The work is also beginning to influence capability development across the wider resilience partnership in the region. As an active member of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), Worcestershire Council confirmed the standards are being discussed through the training and exercising group, and that work is underway to reflect them within multi-agency competency frameworks.

For organisations responsible for resilience and emergency preparedness, the National Occupational Standards provide a valuable nationally recognised resource. Worcestershire’s experience shows that embedding them can be straightforward and highly effective when focused on practical capability and continuous improvement.

Find out more about the Resilience and Emergencies National Occupational Standards: