Sector Skills Councils
Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) provide employer leadership for strategic targeted action to meet their sector's skills and business needs. In return, they receive substantial public funding and greater dialogue with government departments and their public agencies across the UK.
The Government has identified four key objectives for every Sector Skills Council. These are:
How did Skillset become a Sector Skills Council?
In order to be a Sector Skills Council, Skillset is licenced by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, in consultation with the DTI, the Lifelong Learning Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Skillset was the first organisation to be awarded with a licence as a "Trailblazer Sector Skills Council" in March 2002 - one of five organisations selected from 31 organisations who submitted an expression of interest.
Our full five-year licence was awarded in January 2004 after undergoing a rigorous process of assessment by the Sector Skills Development Agency, Devolved Administrations, relevant government departments, independent consultants and a Licence Assessment Panel.
What do Sector Skills Councils do?
As an SSC Skillset is expected to:
The Government has identified four key objectives for every Sector Skills Council. These are:
- Reducing skills gaps and shortages;
- Improving productivity, business and public service performance;
- Increasing opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce, including action on equal opportunities; and
- Improving learning supply, including apprenticeships, higher education and national occupational standards.
How did Skillset become a Sector Skills Council?
In order to be a Sector Skills Council, Skillset is licenced by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, in consultation with the DTI, the Lifelong Learning Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Skillset was the first organisation to be awarded with a licence as a "Trailblazer Sector Skills Council" in March 2002 - one of five organisations selected from 31 organisations who submitted an expression of interest.
Our full five-year licence was awarded in January 2004 after undergoing a rigorous process of assessment by the Sector Skills Development Agency, Devolved Administrations, relevant government departments, independent consultants and a Licence Assessment Panel.
What do Sector Skills Councils do?
As an SSC Skillset is expected to:
- Lead the drive to boost skills and workforce development in the sector and through this to improve productivity, business growth & employment
- Build unrivalled intelligence & analysis about the skills need of the sector, professionally communicated in a way that leads to real change in the workplace & supply of skills linked to changing & future requirements
- Directly influence the planning & funding of education & training across the UK, working within the distinctive arrangements in each nation
- Forge strong links between employers, schools, colleges, training providers & higher education to influence the decisions of young people & adults who are not yet part of the workforce
- Develop convincing evidence and share best practice to promote the business case for skills investment and the more effective use of people in the workforce
- Be run and owned by employers and draw on the expertise and active involvement of trade unions, professional bodies & other stakeholders in the sector.
Skills for Business links
Links to the websites of other Sector Skills Councils and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
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