Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
The Alliance was established on the 1 April 2008, and it comprises 21 licensed UK Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), the employer driven organisations that together articulate the voice of employers of 85% of the UK's workforce on skills issues. It's core purpose is to
- act as the collective voice of the Sector Skills Councils
- promote understanding of the role of SSCs within the skills system across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- co-ordinate policy positions and strategic work on skills with stakeholders across the four home nations
- help build the performance capability of the SSCs, to ensure they continue to work effectively on the employer driven skills agenda
Sector Skills Councils
Each Sector Skills Council will agree priorities and targets with its employers and partners to address four key goals:
- 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
- improving learning supply, including apprenticeships, higher education and national occupational standards
A total of 21 Sector Skills Councils have been granted a license to operate by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. Sectoral Development Branch is fully involved at all stages of the licensing process ensuring that NI interests are represented.
Sectoral Development Branch is committed to working with the Alliance and SSCs in the three main areas of:
- skills forecasting
- development of occupational standards
- development of modern apprenticeships frameworks.
Visit the Alliance for Sector Skills Councils website 
for more information on the Alliance or go to the individual websites of the SSC by following the links on the table below:
| Sector Skills Councils | Business Area |
|---|---|
| Asset Skills |
Property, housing, cleaning services, parking and facilities management |
| IMI |
The retail motor industry |
| Cogent |
Bioscience, Chemical, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries |
| Construction Skills |
Construction |
| Creative and Cultural Skills |
Craft, cultural heritage, design, literature, music, visual and performing arts |
| Energy and Utility Skills |
Electricity, gas, waste management and water industries |
| E-Skills NI |
Information technology, telecommunications and contact centres |
| Financial Skills Partnership |
Financial services finance and accounting sectors |
| Go Skills Formally merges with People 1st on 4 July 2011 |
See People 1st for more details |
| Improve Ltd |
Food and drink manufacturing and processing |
| Lantra |
Environmental and land-based industries |
| People 1st and GoSkills formally merged on 4 July 2011 |
Hospitality, leisure, passenger transport, travel and tourism |
| ProSkills |
Process and manufacturing industry |
| S EMTA |
Science, engineering and manufacturing technologies (including Composities) |
| SkillsActive |
Active leisure, Learning and Well-being |
| Skills for Care and Development |
Early years, children and young people's services, social work and social care for adults and children |
| Skills for Health |
The health sector across the UK |
| Skills for Justice |
Community safety, courts,tribunals and prosecution, custodial care, fire and rescue, forensic science, law enforcement, offender management and support, policing, victim, survivor and witness support, youth justice and the children's workforce. Legal services joined the footprint in 2010/201, justice, court services, customs |
| Skills for Logistics |
Freight logistics industry, and Wholesale |
| Skillset |
Broadcast, film, video, interactive media, photo imaging, publishing and advertising. Fashion and Textiles (from 1 April 2010) |
| Skillsmart Retail |
Retail |
| SummitSkills |
Building services engineering |
