Revision, Review and Future Developments

The first National Occupational Standards for Publishing were developed by Book House Training Centre (now The Publishing Training Centre) and published in 1992. Since then, the Standards have been reviewed and revised (1996, 2001 and 2005) in order to accommodate changes in the publishing industry and to ensure that they continue to reflect best practice.

The Standards have been revised in 2011 to bring them up-to-date with digital developments and to include journals publishing.

Occupational competence is not just concerned with the ability to carry out publishing functions: it includes requirements such as the ability to organise and manage workflow; to set priorities and meet deadlines; to identify clearly the problems that arise and use personal initiative to solve them; to establish and maintain good working relationships; and to be able to operate in a safe environment.

In recognition of the fact that the workplace is subject to constant and increasingly rapid change, the Standards Setting Body will keep under review any changes which may impinge on the current Standards.