What are Sector Skills Councils?

The
DfES provides the following information about the role and aims Sector Skills
Councils and how they will operate.

Sector
Skills Councils (SSCs) are high profile strategic bodies led by influential
employers to drive up skills and productivity in industry and business sectors
throughout the UK.

What
are Sector Skills Councils for?

The
four key goals of Sector Skills Councils are to:
– reduce skills gaps and shortages and increase the speed of development and transition
by sectors
– develop specific actions that lead to improved productivity, business and
public services performance
– take action leading to the development of everyone on the sector’s workforce
– influence action that leads to improvement in learning supply

What
will they do?

SSCs
will:
– be licensed by government throughout the UK as the lead bodies on industry
and business sectors skills and productivity
– be experts on their sectors
– understand the key drivers influencing development of the sector and
implications for the demand, supply and use of skills
– identify skills and productivity priorities and the action needed to tackle
them
– agree with employers, government and relevant public agencies how this action
will be taken forward
– lead action and monitor progress in meeting the priorities
– ensure underpinning arrangements that meet the sector’s needs, such as
occupational standards, apprenticeship frameworks and quality education and
training provision, are in place

Why
should employers get involved?

Employers
will form an SSC to:
– ensure the skills and productivity needs of their sector are properly
addressed by the government, public agencies and the education and training
system across the UK
– develop the competitiveness and the effectiveness of their sector by securing
effective government policy and identifying best practice  the UK and abroad for application by
employers
– ensure the availability of a skilled workforce to meet the current and future
needs of their sector, including support for inward investment opportunities
– secure the effective operation of the education and training system
throughout the UK to meet their sector’s needs

What
input will the Government make?

Government
and public agencies will work with SSCs to:
– develop high impact industry, employment, education and training policies and
provision that deliver significant improvements in productivity, economic
performance and social inclusion
– access expert and authoritative advice and support on sector-specific skills
and productivity issues and solutions to tackle these
– access extensive employer networks