Four Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) have been relicensed, Skills Secretary John Denham announced today, on behalf of the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations
11 May 2009
Sector Skills Councils are important advocates for their industries and the principle way that employers can exert influence on the skills and training system to make sure it best meets their needs. For that reason it is important that all SSCs are operating effectively and the relicensing process will ensure that this happens.
All four have been successful in their application for a further trademark licence to operate as SSCs and have gone through a comprehensive assessment process led by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
The four successful SSCs are:
- Cogent (chemicals and pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymers)
- People 1st (hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries)
- Semta (aerospace, automotive, electrical, electronics, maintenance, mechanical, engineering, marine, metals and engineered metal products, bioscience, science and mathematics)
- Skillset (broadcast, film, video, interactive media, publishing and photo imaging)
A fifth Sector Skills Council, the Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) was judged to have not met the required standard. While recognising that the FSSC has strengths, Ministers in the UK Government and Devolved Administrations have decided that the organisation’s role and strategy should be subject to review. The review, which will rely heavily on the views of employers in the sector, will be completed by the autumn, at which point ministers will make a decision on the position of the FSSC licence. The FSSC's existing licence and contract will be extended to allow this review to take place, so that the strongest possible skills arrangements are in place to support the financial services sector at this critical time.
Skills Secretary John Denham said:
“Now more than ever we need to make sure that all employers are given the support they need to invest in skills and prepare for the upturn. SSCs play a vital role as advocates for their industries and in identifying and tackling strategic skills needs.
“The four SSCs relicensed today have shown that they are of the highest calibre and are providing a good service to employers in their sector. I am also confident that the proposed review for FSSC provides the right direction for securing the changing skills needs of the finance sector.
“This comprehensive assessment process will assist in raising standards even further, and ensure that SSCs have the confidence and support of employers in their sector.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for the Scottish Government, said:
“It is critical, particularly at this time, that Sector Skills Councils are able to respond to the skills needs of Scottish employers and to engage effectively with Scotland’s skills system.
I am delighted that four of the first five to be assessed by the UK Commission have demonstrated that they are able to do this.”
The relicensing process is overseen and managed by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills through a panel chaired by Charlie Mayfield, who is also chairman of the John Lewis Partnership. He added:
“Sector Skills Councils are the principle mechanism by which employers can exert influence over the UK’s education, skills and training systems. As such, it is vitally important that they operate effectively. The relicensing process has been designed to ensure just this, and the announcement that four of the first five SSCs to undergo assessment have reached the required standards is an endorsement of their effectiveness. The renewal of these licences also gives confidence to the Government that each of these SSCs is truly backed by its industry, has the support of employers and is properly equipped to identify the skills needs of its sector.”
“The Commission is already working with the Financial Services Skills Council to build on its strengths and ensure it is well positioned to meet the skills needs of this vital sector.”
The NAO reports and the recommendations of the Relicensing Panel are available at both www.ukces.org.uk and www.nao.org.uk.
Notes to editors:
All 25 Sector Skills Councils are currently undergoing a robust and rigorous relicensing assessment, in order to ensure they are as effective as possible. The relicensing process includes a performance assessment carried out by the National Audit Office on behalf of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills which manages the relicensing process. It focuses on assessing the SSCs against four key themes:
- how well run the organisation is
- its ability to deliver core products and services
- its ability to deliver sector specific solutions to employer demand
- its ability to progress results and impacts
The SSC relicensing assessment comprises a detailed review and report on each SSC by the NAO against a relicensing framework. The Relicensing framework (Empowering SSCs – Employer driven skills reform across the UK) was launched in July 2008 and is available on the UK Commission’s website.
Assessments of SSCs against the framework’s requirements are carried out by the National Audit Office. The NAO collect evidence on each SSC, including employer testimonies and stakeholder feedback when producing their assessment report.
This report is then considered by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills in a process which includes site visits and meetings by a designated Commissioner and a full Relicensing Panel in which both the Chair and CEO of the SSC meet with Commissioners to make their case.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills then makes a recommendation to Ministers in England and the Devolved Administrations as to whether an individual SSC should receive a further licence. This recommendation is based upon both the NAO report and the deliberations of Commissioners.
The decision to award or withhold a licence is made by Ministers in the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations.
Sector Skills Councils may appeal against the recommendation made by the UK Commission for Employment, but may not appeal against the Ministerial decision.
Full copies of the assessment reports and relicensing panel recommendations are available at www.ukces.org.uk
The next five Sector Skills Councils to be assessed are Asset Skills (property, housing, cleaning services and facilities management); SummitSkills (building services engineering); Energy & Utility Skills (electricity, gas, waste management and water industries); Skillfast-UK (fashion and textiles) and e-skills UK (information technology, telecommunications and contact centres).
About the UK Commission for Employment and Skills
The remit of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills is to provide vigorous and independent challenge, advising government at the highest levels across the UK on employment and skills strategy, targets, policies and progress towards the challenging competitiveness goals set by Lord Leitch, including the vision of an 80% employment rate by 2020. It has been asked by the government to report on crucial issues, such as the employability skills employers need for future economic success, how UK employers can use skills to become more globally competitive, and whether further institutional change is required to deliver better integrated employment and skills services.
More information, including a detailed description of the relicensing process, is available at www.ukces.org.uk – click on Sector Skills Councils.
Further information from Alex Curling, Head of Press, UKCES, 01709 774890
Alex.curling@ukces.org.uk or Jane Parsons, DIUS Press Office, on 020 3300 8928.
