Blue National Occupational Standards (BNOS)

Building a Common Language for Canada's Blue Economy

What is the BNOS Career Framework?

The Blue National Occupational Standards define the core skills, knowledge and competencies required for occupations across the blue economy. Developed with and validated by industry, these profiles reflect the real-world requirements for different roles.

Occupational standards are a shared foundation for:

Employers
Educators
Regulators
Professional

Ensuring that roles in the ocean sector are well understood and consistent across regions and industries.

The BNOS profiles are a Common Language for Ocean Careers. They are clear benchmarks to help align the industry to a shared career framework.

Why Does BNOS Matter?

The blue economy is growing, and with growth comes new roles and areas of expertise.

Without a shared standard, it becomes hard to:

Define what a job means across regions and sectors

Align training with real-world work demands

Recognize skills consistently between employers
Clarify skills readiness for workers

Tap or hover to learn more →

BNOS addresses these challenges by:

Establishing skill benchmarks
Supporting training and curriculum development

Providing the basis for professional credentials like SBEP

Helping employers design meaningful roles and career pathways

Standards are the foundation for clarity, consistency, and mobility across ocean jobs.

Explore BNOS Profiles

BNOS & the Sustainable Blue Economy Professional

The BNOS framework is the basis of OAC’s SBEP Designation.

SBEP assessments and professional benchmarks are all rooted in the BNOS profiles that have been validated by ocean industry.

By aligning SBEP with these standards, we ensure that the credential shows:

Standards

What the ocean sector actually needs

Benchmarks

What professionals are doing in their roles

Credentials

What employers rely on when hiring

Explore the Profiles

Roles responsible for the direct operation, navigation, and maintenance of marine vessels and onboard systems. It includes professionals who ensure the safety of maritime transport, execute technical operations at sea, and lead crews under varied ocean conditions.

Scientific and technical professionals who assess, monitor, and manage the ecological health of marine and coastal environments. These individuals conduct research, analyze environmental data, and support sustainable marine resource management

Design, development, and maintenance of advanced marine technologies, systems, and instrumentation. Professionals in this stream are responsible for applying engineering principles to build, test, and operate innovative solutions in marine environments

Professionals who use spatial data and geographic information systems to inform marine planning, environmental impact analysis, and resource management. These roles support evidence-based decisions in marine spatial planning, fisheries stock analysis, and habitat conservation

Sustainable ocean infrastructure and offshore renewable energy. It includes technical roles involved in the development, deployment, and monitoring of wind farms, marine sensors, and other ocean-based energy systems

Operational and supervisory roles involved in the cultivation, harvesting, and health management of aquatic species. Professionals in this stream manage aquaculture systems, ensure compliance with environmental regulations, and monitor water and stock quality

Enabling roles that support blue economy sectors through leadership in health and safety, public education, communications, and program administration. These professionals play a critical role in workforce development, stakeholder engagement, and ecosystem-wide systems coordination

Help Us Validate New Profiles

OAC periodically updates BNOS to reflect emerging roles and priorities. We invite practitioners, employers, educators, Indigenous partners, and sector specialists to participate in BNOS review and validation.

We’re looking for reviewers who can:

Provide insights from lived experience in ocean work

Validate competencies

Suggest updates

Help shape future skill and career pathways

Apply to the BNOS Reviewer Roster

"*" indicates required fields