Commissioned by Pearson, this report explores whether the current development and use of occupational standards are keeping pace with the changing needs of the economy.

Occupational standards outline the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to be competent in particular job roles. They are used as a foundation for apprenticeships and other technical qualifications and also by employers and training providers to develop job descriptions and curricula.

Key findings from the research include:

• Small groups of large employers have a disproportionate influence on the design of standards in some sectors
• Striking the balance between developing a generalisable standard for an entire sector, that includes sufficient detail around the tasks and skills required to perform a role competently, is a key challenge
• There are too many IfATE/Skills England occupational standards. As of 2024, there are over 670 occupational standards in the UK, whereas Switzerland has approximately 230 standards and Germany has around 330
• The content and quality of standards remains inconsistent despite IfATE/Skills England introducing tools to tackle this.

The report warns that England’s occupational standards lack the agility to train up workers for the eight ‘growth-driving’ industries in the UK’s Industrial Strategy, and provides a number of recommendations for how we can improve the system.