Support

Work in support of munition clearance and search competence

The purpose of the Standards Setting Body for Explosives, Munitions & Search Occupations (EMSO) is to foster competence in the explosives industry through the commissioning and maintenance of nationally accredited standards and qualifications, in particular National Vocational Qualifications. A voluntary, freestanding committee, the Standards Setting Body seeks to achieve consensus views on competence related matters through consultation with and between stakeholders. The Standards Setting Body Body also works closely with a number of other bodies, including the Health & Safety Executive.

The Standard Setting Body was originally established in early 2000 to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) and National/Scottish Vocational Qualifications (N/SVQs) for use in munition clearance (essentially explosive ordnance (EOD) disposal) and search (MCSO) occupations. This sector was - and to some extent still is - largely the preserve of the Armed Forces and other government agencies, although non-governmental and commercial organisations are increasingly involved in this field, often working alongside or in tandem with their military counterparts.

The MCSO standards project commenced in September 2000 with rigorous research to describe the industry - civilian and military - and to identify the training and skills issues needing to be met by the proposed standards and qualifications. Conducted by specialists in consultation with search and munition clearance managers and operatives from across the industry, this preliminary work enabled the production of a detailed occupational map, a narrative description of the purpose, scale and scope of the industry and its training and accreditation mechanisms, along with analysis of current trends, needs, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The next stage, standards development, began with the definition of a Key Purpose Statement, outlining the common aims of the industry. Then, the myriad functions that need to be carried out across the industry in order to achieve this purpose were defined. Simultaneously, experts from the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force, along with representatives of civilian de-mining companies and the Defence Science & Technology Laboratories, collaborated with qualifications specialists to develop National Occupational Standards in MCSO. Subsequently, these Standards were field-tested prior to the drafting of N/SVQs for each discrete role within the industry. These draft N/SVQs were then subjected to rigorous scrutiny by practitioners and trainers serving the industry prior to submission for accreditation by the regulatory authorities. Accreditation was granted in 2002 and the N/SVQs were launched at the National Army Museum in London on 21 October 2003.

Work in support of explosive substance and articles competence

In late 2003, at the request of the MOD's Defence Ordnance Safety Group, the Standards Setting Body undertook to repeat this process for the whole of the Explosives Substances & Articles (ESA) sector (often known as ordnance, munitions and explosives (OME), including research and development, safety management, test and evaluation, manufacture, maintenance, procurement, storage, transport, disposal and civil applications (eg special effects, oil and gas exploration, mining and quarrying).

During 2004 and 2005, the Standards Setting Body's Occupational Working Group for ESA held over 50 meetings and 45 one to three day workshops at which managers and practitioners volunteered by interested parties assisted the Standards Setting Body's expert adviser in:

• mapping the scope and size of the sector
• defining its over-arching function (or mission)
• analysing the sector's key roles and functions
• drafting NOS

Almost 400 individuals participated in various parts of the process, although a central team of about 20 individuals bore the brunt of the work. The validation process alone involved over 300 people at 16 sites across the industry. The cash costs of the project of around £350k were met largely by principal stakeholders, although limited public funding was received through Science Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (SEMTA), the Sector Skills Council (SSC) responsible. The true cost of the project was probably to £900k.

Once the NOS were validated and endorsed by the OWG for ESA in late 2005, they were submitted to the appropriate authorities for accreditation. After that, the OWG worked with Awards UK Ltd, its awarding body partner, and SEMTA to:

• develop N/SVQs for people working at different levels (from operator to operational manager) based on the NOS
• evidence specifications, assessment guidance, centre and candidate guidance and model portfolios
• Map the NOS to Key Skills

Consideration continues to be given to:

• developing technical certificates for external examination
• devising fundable apprenticeship frameworks