Major Changes to Skills Landscape

UK Commission for Employment and Skills
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UK CES) was launched on 1^st April 2008. The Commission incorporates many of the roles of the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and National Employment Panel (NEP) which both closed on 31^st March 2008. The Commission will play a central role in raising the UK’s skills base, improving productivity and competitiveness, increasing employment and making a contribution to a fairer society. The Commission will report to the Prime Minister in the UK Government and the relevant Ministers in the Devolved Administrations, this will be the DEL Minister in Northern Ireland. The UK Commission will be primarily advisory in nature, but will also have an executive function in performance managing and funding the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), as well as a lead role in their reform and relicensing.

UK Commission for Employment and Skills

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UK CES) was launched on 1^st April 2008. The Commission incorporates many of the roles of the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and National Employment Panel (NEP) which both closed on 31^st March 2008.

The Commission will play a central role in raising the UK’s skills base, improving productivity and competitiveness, increasing employment and making a contribution to a fairer society. The Commission will report to the Prime Minister in the UK Government and the relevant Ministers in the Devolved Administrations, this will be the DEL Minister in Northern Ireland. The UK Commission will be primarily advisory in nature, but will also have an executive function in performance managing and funding the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), as well as a lead role in their reform and relicensing.

Northern Ireland Employment and Skills Advisor
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills will have a strategic leadership and advisory role, but it has been agreed that Northern Ireland employment and skills issues will be overseen locally by a Northern Ireland Employment and Skills Advisor, who will have a place on the UK Commission and will report to the Minister for Employment and Learning. The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) will shortly be instigating a public appointments process to identify a suitable candidate to fill this position. Until this process is complete, a senior DEL official will represent the interests of Northern Ireland on the UK Commission.

Northern Ireland Employment and Skills Advisor

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills will have a strategic leadership and advisory role, but it has been agreed that Northern Ireland employment and skills issues will be overseen locally by a Northern Ireland Employment and Skills Advisor, who will have a place on the UK Commission and will report to the Minister for Employment and Learning. The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) will shortly be instigating a public appointments process to identify a suitable candidate to fill this position. Until this process is complete, a senior DEL official will represent the interests of Northern Ireland on the UK Commission.

Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils (the Alliance) also came into operation on 1 April 2008. The Alliance is owned and lead by the network of 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and has taken over the co-ordination of the Skills for Business Network. The role of the Alliance is to support the work of the SSCs and to build their performance capacity and profile. David Hunter, Chief Executive of Lifelong Learning UK has been appointed Chair of the Alliance in Northern Ireland, and Laurence Downey (formerly of the SSDA) has been appointed its Northern Ireland Manager.

Alliance of Sector Skills Councils

The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils (the Alliance) also came into operation on 1 April 2008. The Alliance is owned and lead by the network of 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and has taken over the co-ordination of the Skills for Business Network. The role of the Alliance is to support the work of the SSCs and to build their performance capacity and profile. David Hunter, Chief Executive of Lifelong Learning UK has been appointed Chair of the Alliance in Northern Ireland, and Laurence Downey (formerly of the SSDA) has been appointed its Northern Ireland Manager.

Sector Skills Council Reform and Relicensing
The Leitch Report recommended that an evaluation of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) should take place. The relicensing programme, which will be lead by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UK CES), focuses on SSC performance, and to achieve relicensed status each SSC must have the confidence, support and influence of employers within their sector. If an SSC does not meet the required standards, the UK CES will be asked to consider alternatives to cover these sectors. As part of the relicensing process, an employer document will be published setting out the benefits employers gain by working with their SSCs, and asking them to become involved by providing their views on the work of the SSCs. A second, more technical document will set out the detailed criteria and process for relicensing and what is expected of the SSCs themselves. It is hoped that the employer document will be available at the end of May and the technical prospectus will be available towards the end of June. The relicensing process will take about 6 months for each SSC and will be completed for the whole network by December 2009.

Sector Skills Council Reform and Relicensing

The Leitch Report recommended that an evaluation of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) should take place. The relicensing programme, which will be lead by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UK CES), focuses on SSC performance, and to achieve relicensed status each SSC must have the confidence, support and influence of employers within their sector. If an SSC does not meet the required standards, the UK CES will be asked to consider alternatives to cover these sectors.

As part of the relicensing process, an employer document will be published setting out the benefits employers gain by working with their SSCs, and asking them to become involved by providing their views on the work of the SSCs. A second, more technical document will set out the detailed criteria and process for relicensing and what is expected of the SSCs themselves. It is hoped that the employer document will be available at the end of May and the technical prospectus will be available towards the end of June. The relicensing process will take about 6 months for each SSC and will be completed for the whole network by December 2009.