Glossary
There are currently 4 names in this directory beginning with the letter O.
Occupation
An occupation is defined as a set of jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterised by a high degree of similarity. A person may be associated with an occupation through the main job currently held, a second job or a job previously held.
Occupational Description/Description of Occupation
Occupational description is a brief general statement describing an occupation in comparison to an occupational standard that is more detailed listing of all major activities that a worker must perform in the occupation.
Examples of things a job description might include are:
• the job title
• the employer’s name and its focus
• the job purpose
• main tasks and responsibilities
• the reporting lines of the job - who the person is responsible to and (if appropriate) which other roles report to them
• any minimum legal requirements, education or qualifications, or occupational licensing
• ideal personal skills, knowledge and attributes for the job
• any delegated authority the position has (financial and people)
• place of work
• performance measures for the job
• hours of work
• wage or salary range
• customers and stakeholders, who the job works with internally and externally
• any organisational competencies or values
• the type of employment (e.g. full-time, part-time, permanent, fixed term, casual).
Occupational skills profile (OSP)
An OSP summarises essential characteristics required for a given job: the level of education and training required (and hence the complexity of the occupation); the field of education and training required; and other requirements in terms of knowledge, skills, competence, occupational interests, and work values.
Occupational standard
There are different approaches to the term occupational standard:
• Occupational standard refers to the statements of the activities and tasks related to a specific job and to its practice;
• It can also be as “statements of the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for effective performance in a job role and are expressed as outcomes of competent performance.