Stephanie McDivitt, a senior representative from LLUK for LSP National Occupational Standards, attended the team meeting on 17 December 2007, to investigate how the SW CPD Project team might work in partnership with LLUK in the development of CPD/training modules for Learning Support Practitioners (LSPs). Stephanie explained the process by which National Occupational Standards were constructed and drew an important distinction between professional standards such as those for initial teacher training and national occupational standards for LSPs. The process included:

1. Identifying and defining the role of the LSP. (Sonia recommended issuing the role document resulting from the original national ‘scoping' exercise.)
2. Distinguishing between generic and specialist roles
3. Determining commonalities within the role or roles
4. Constructing national occupational standards.

It was made clear that the National Occupational Standards for LSPs were deliberately generic and placed the emphasis on learning support, ie: support of the learner in the learning process. The emphasis was on support for the learner not the teacher. Other roles and functions to do with personal care which allowed the learner to access learning might have to be mapped to other nationally occupational standards, ie: units of training or CPD would have to be mapped to the appropriate national occupational standard where more than one standard might be applicable. It was agreed that LLUK and the project team would collaborate in the development of CPD provision for what is an essential part of the workforce within the Learning and Skills Sector.