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Sector Skills Councils
17 July 2008
On the July 17, 2008 the UK Commission for Employment and Skills announced that it would commence a reform and relicensing programme for Sector Skills Councils.
Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are UK wide, independent, employer-led organisations who require a license from the UK Government to operate. There are currently 25 of them representing key sectors of the economy such as Finance, Tourism, Construction and Transport. It is estimated that the SSCs cover around 90 per cent of the UK economy.
The Scottish Government's skills strategy - Skills for Scotland - recognises that involving employers in skills debates is essential to ensuring that the training and education systems that are in place in Scotland are responsive to their demands for skills. The skills strategy states that the sectoral approach to more effective employer engagement is the right one and that SSCs have a key role in articulating the skills needs of employers. In this respect, it sets out what the Scottish Government expects SSCs in Scotland to do in their sector:
- Effective engagement with a wider range of employers in their sector so that they can speak with legitimacy on their behalf
- Deliver sectoral labour market intelligence that is trusted, well used and fits with the robust national data available from elsewhere
- Ensure that employers have a say in the design and development of learning at all levels
- Build and maintain strong partnerships
SSCs evolved from the National Training Organisations, and have been licensed now for around 5 years. During that time, they have built strong working relationships with the four Governments across the UK, training providers, bodies which fund training and other important skills stakeholders.
While SSCs have carried out a lot of good work on skills issues in Scotland and in other parts of the UK, there are many more challenges which lie ahead. Given that SSCs have been operating in their current format for up to 5 years now, the UK Government and devolved administrations agreed that it is time to take stock and assess whether SSCs can continue to meet these challenges. That is why the new UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) will be assessing SSCs with a view to making recommendations to the UK Government and the devolved administrations on whether their current license should be renewed.
The prospectus that has been sent to all SSCs outlines what the UKCES will measure the SSCs against in each of the four nations to ensure they are in a position to deliver what is expected of them.
An important part of this process is raising awareness amongst employers of the role the SSCs can play on their behalf. Therefore the UKCES have released an employer document which explains in greater detail how employers can work with SSCs to influence the skill system and identify ways of up-skilling their workforce.