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About SSCs

What are Sector Skills Councils (SSCs)?  

There are 23 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Each is an employer-led, organisation that covers a specific sector across the UK, representing the skills and training interests of all employers within the sector.  They are designed to build a skills system that is driven by employer demand.

They all work towards the following four key goals:          

• reduced skills gaps and shortages;
• improved productivity, business and public service performance
• increased opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce; and
• improved learning supply through National Occupational   Standards, apprenticeships and further and higher education.

All SSCs are licensed by the Secretary of State for Innovation Universities and Skills, in consultation with Ministers in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Relicensing Process 

Why are SSCs being relicensed?

The process of relicensing will determine whether their licence from the UK government and the devolved administrations should be renewed.  This is important because the UK government and the devolved administrations are giving SSCs increasing levels of influence over skills policy, qualification reform and the way in which learning provision is delivered.  The recommendation that SSCs be relicensed came from Leitch's 2006 report 'Prosperity for all in the global economy - World Class Skills' 

What criteria will SSCs have to meet to be relicensed?

The Relicensing Framework for Sector Skills Councils sets out the full Assessment framework against which each SSC will be asked to submit evidence to support its case for relicensing which will be assessed by an independent third party, the National Audit Office (NAO).

See Assessment Process FAQs for more information.  

Isn't there a risk that relicensing is distracting SSCs from their 'day job'?

The UK Commission has tried to ensure the amount of staff resource needed is minimised.  The evidence requirements from SSCs is focused on documentation that SSCs would develop as part of their normal business activity. However, the UKCES does acknowledge that there may be additional time/resource required by an SSC as the relicensing process naturally calls for a reassessment of current activity.

How can I keep myself informed about the relicensing process?

The UK Commission will keep people informed about the process through regular notices and a newsletter, which will be placed on the UKCES website.  In addition, these notices will also be available on the National Audit Office (NAO) website.  

Timetable for SSC Relicensing:

What is the timetable for the relicensing process? 

The relicensing process started in September 2008 and will complete by December 2009.  The phases of the process are:

• Planning meeting with SSC and NAO
• NAO assess evidence from SSCs, employers and stakeholders
• NAO Report submitted to UKCES
• UKCES Commissioner visits SSC
• UK Commission Panel meet SSC
• Recommendations to government/DAs
• Ministerial decision

See also Annex 3 of Relicensing Framework for Sector Skills Councils.

Will I be able to view the relicensing timetable for each SSC?

Yes. 

How have the SSCs been ordered through the relicensing process?

SSCs will submit their evidence against the Relicensing Framework for
relicensing between September 2008 and June 2009.  All SSCs were asked when they wished to submit their Business Case and this determined the time at which they enter and complete the relicensing process.  Wherever possible, we have accommodated each SSC's wish in relation to timing. 

Why are the SSCs grouped with other SSCs who bear no relation to them? 

The groupings were determined by the time at which each SSC wished to come through the process. 

Why are the SSCs grouped into 'Tranches'?

This is simply to enable the NAO to hold a 'Consistency Panel' at regular intervals during the process to ensure consistency in the assessment process. 

Employer/Stakeholder Engagement and Feedback into the relicensing process

Why would employers want to get involved?

For employers, the Employer Prospectus outlines the benefits of getting involved with the SSC for your sector and how you can do that.  As SSCs represent employers, your views are being sought on how they are performing.

The NAO want to ensure they have heard from the widest possible range of stakeholders to give the most objective view of an SSC.

How can employers get involved?

The opportunity to feedback into the relicensing process has now closed.

Why would stakeholders want to get involved?

The opportunity to feedback into the relicensing process has now closed.

How can stakeholders get involved with the relicensing process

If you are a stakeholder, you can post your views via the Relicensing Stakeholder Feedback Form which maps directly to the Relicensing Framework.

We would encourage those organisations that have a number of staff working with SSC(s) to look at providing consolidated responses. i.e. one response per SSC per organisation

Can I feed back at any time throughout the relicensing process?

The opportunity to feedback into the relicensing process has now closed.

How can I find out which SSC represents my

View the SSC List to see full list of SSCs showing their sector coverage, website addresses and contact details.

The Relicensing Framework

What are the criteria that SSCs will have to meet to be relicensed?

The Relicensing Framework for Sector Skills Councils sets out the full Relicensing Framework against which each SSC will be asked to submit evidence to support its case for relicensing.

The Assessment Process - Evidence Collection, Assessment and Reporting

How will the evidence be assessed?

The NAO will review the evidence provided by the SSC on performance and speak to employers and stakeholders. They will then produce a report for the UK Commission on its findings.  

What type of evidence does the SSC need to provide the NAO?

Most SSCs should be able to submit their evidence in the form of their strategic and business plans. In addition the evidence should be cross referenced to the Relicensing Assessment Framework. Additional evidence can then in most cases be signposted and this will be agreed at the planning meeting

The NAO will also provide a list of possible evidence sources at the planning meeting.

What documentation should the SSC have ready?

The NAO will be providing SSCs with a list of key documents they will wish to see during the assessment phase. This list will be provided at the SSC's planning meeting.

Does the SSC need to create any new documentation for the assessors?

It is highly unlikely that an SSC will need to produce large amounts of additional evidence. The SSC strategic and business plan should be the basis of the full proposal and any additional evidence would come from existing documentation e.g. sector skills agreement.

Will the NAO speak to all stakeholders?

It would be impossible for the NAO to speak to all stakeholders in the timeframes, however, all stakeholders have the opportunity to submit evidence for the NAO to consider as part of their assessment process.

Will the SSC have an opportunity to contextualise or comment on evidence provided from employers and stakeholders?

SSCs will be made aware of evidence coming from other sources and if the NAO believe there is a need to contextualise the evidence they will speak to the SSC.

Will the evidence the SSCs submit s be shared with stakeholders?

No, the sole purpose of the full submission is to enable the NAO to assess the SSC against the key tests.

Will the NAO be looking at both past performance and future objectives

Yes, the NAO will be looking at the SSCs past performance and their plans for the future 

How long will the assessment take and who needs to be there?

Assessment will be in two parts. Firstly the NAO will view all written evidence including that submitted by the SSC. The second part will be the site visit where the NAO will visit each SSC to talk to a range of people. The length of time this process takes will vary from SSC to SSC, depending on the time they enter the process in proximity to the Consistency Panel.  We expect that it should take no more than 6 months from beginning to end.

Why will a Commissioner visit the SSC after the NAO?

The Commissioners understand the importance of the role they are performing and are committed to ensuring they have given full consideration of all the evidence in front of them. The
Commissioners therefore wish to visit SSCs to enhance their understanding of how each organisation operates.

Why was the National Audit Office (NAO) chosen to carry out the independent assessment?

UKCES considered a number of different options. The NAO demonstrated that they have the right kind of experience and expertise to undertake this work.  

What sort of training and background do the assessors have?

Each of the assessors are experienced Auditors who have had years of experience of undertaking this kind of work.  The NAO have received training from UKCES with input from DIUS, Alliance of SSCs and the devolved administrations on the work of the SSCs

How can SSCs be sure that the NAO assessors have not made up their mind before they go and see them?

The rationale behind the appointment of the NAO is to ensure total independence and objectivity throughout the relicensing process.  The NAO will gather a range of evidence and triangulate it in order that they can provide the UK Commission with a holistic and balanced report on the SSC.

Recommendations for relicensing

Once the report has been submitted to the UK Commission - what happens next?

A Commissioner will visit the SSC once the NAO has submitted its report. The Commission will then invite the SSC to a Panel meeting to discuss the findings. Following any final clarification on the evidence submitted by the SSC, the UK Commission will make a recommendation to the UK government and the devolved administrations on whether a new licence should be awarded and inform the Chair and Chief Executive of the SSC.

Will the report (and scores) be in the public domain?

Yes, once the Ministerial decision has been made and communicated to the UKCES and SSC, the overall narrative report and scores will be put in the public domain via the UKCES website and press releases.

When will the decision of Ministers be made public?

The Ministerial decision will be made public shortly after all the UK government Ministers have responded to the UKCES recommendation.

When an SSC is relicensed, will there be a continued performance monitoring process?

Yes, the UKCES will continue to Performance Manage SSCs against a new risk based performance management system that reflects a 'Continuous Improvement Model.' This is currently being developed and will be ready for implementation from April 2009.  

What happens if an SSC fails to be relicensed?

If the recommendation is to withdraw the licence of the SSC, the UK Commission will seek an immediate meeting with the Chair, Board and Chief Executive of the SSC to prepare an action plan. The plan is likely to constitute three options for the SSC and the sector:

• Re-purpose the SSC – make significant changes where appropriate  to the governance, leadership and structure of the existing organisation;
• Merge with another SSC – assess other SSC footprints to identify synergies and merger opportunities, potential organizational models and implement structural consolidation;
• Invite and develop appropriate non – SSC bodies in the sector to take on the SSC role and thus licence.

Appeals

What are the appeal arrangements if an SSC feels badly treated?

We have fully described the appeals procedure within the Relicensing Framework for Sector Skills Councils prospectus which gives full details of how an SSC can appeal should the situation arise. (p.23)

Support through the Process

How much support can I expect from UKCES Performance Consultants?

The Performance Consultants will be able to provide information and support on the process of relicensing but will not be able to comment or provide a view on  your proposed submission

NEW The SSC licence

Is there a fixed time period for the SSC licence?

No. The updated licences issued by the Skills Minister of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are open ended. The new licence will replace the previous licence. When SSCs were first licensed the initial offer letters to the Chairs of SSCs stated that the intention was to licence SSCs for five years, although the licences themselves did not actually specify an end date. As with the original licences, the updated licences do not set an end date. In order to maintain the licence an SSC has to continue to demonstrate that they meet the required licensing standards, as assessed on an ongoing basis through the new risk-based inspection programme.

NEW Press and media enquiries

What is the protocol for handling press and media enquiries about relicensing?

The press notice announcing the outcome of the relicensing for each SSC is sent out by the press office at BIS. A few days before the announcement date, Alex Curling, head of PR at UKCES will contact the SSCs involved to let them know the confirmed date and give them advance sight of the press notice. If there are any factual errors in the press notice, they can be corrected at this time. Once the BIS press office has sent out the press notice, SSCs may send out their own press releases to their trade and sector press, although this is not obligatory. The UK Commission will not normally comment on the status of individual SSCs prior to the release of the press notice. If you have any questions about press or media handling, please contact Alex on 01709 774890, alex.curling@ukces.org.uk