Glossary of terms

Table of contents

Glossary

Glossary

  • ACAS - The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service which gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice.
  • Certificate of good character is a letter or certificate from an overseas authority confirming part or all of your criminal record history. They sometimes have different names, e.g. Certificate of Good Conduct.
  • CSCS – The Construction Skills Certification Scheme is a health and safety qualification for construction workers. Reputable employers will insist that all workers pass this test.
  • DBS - Disclosure and Barring Service, which is a way for employers check your criminal record, to help decide whether you are a suitable person to work for them
  • HMRC – His Majesties Revenue and Customs is the UK tax office.
  • IELTS – International English Language Testing System is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for people who want to study or work in some professions
  • A Job Description sets out the purpose of a role and the main tasks to be carried out.
  • Labour exploitation means the abuse of people in the workplace for profit. For example, being forced to work long hours without breaks or subjected to poor workplace health and safety, working conditions.
  • NINO - National Insurance Number is a reference number for paying tax, national insurance and claiming benefits
  • NRPF – No Recourse to Public Funding is a condition applied to some people’s immigration status which means they are not entitled to claim certain UK benefits or housing assistance
  • OET – Occupational English Test is an English language test for healthcare professionals
  • A Person Specification is a description of the qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes needed to perform a particular job.
  • PPE – Personal Protective Equipment is specialised clothing or equipment to protect an employee against exposure to chemical, biological or physical harm. • Share Code is a is a personal identifier that proves a worker’s immigration status. Using an online service, potential employers can easily and quickly check that migrant workers have the right to work in the UK.
  • Shortage Occupation List is a list of jobs where UK businesses and employers face a shortage of workers.
  • SIA stands for Security Industry Authority. An SIA licence permits people to work in security jobs such as door supervisors or CCTV operators.
  • SSP - Statutory sick pay is paid to employees who are off work due to illness for more than three consecutive workdays
  • Sworn Oath - swearing an oath relating to a document means that you are using the law to guarantee that what is contained within the document is the truth.
  • Trade Unions are groups of employees who join together to maintain and improve their conditions of employment.
  • Transferable skills are those you can carry from one job to another or can be applied to a wide range of different jobs and industries.
  • UK-ENIC – is the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills.
  • Vocational qualifications are practical qualifications that relate to a specific job or career sector.
  • Zero-hour contracts are a type of employment contract that does not provide the worker with a guaranteed number of work hours. This means you could have different hours or days each week, and there may be periods where you’re not needed at all.
Last updated: 9th May 2023