Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has announced that three more Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) have been relicensed.
These are GO Skills, Financial Services Skills Council and the Skills for Care and Development Council.
Lord Mandelson said: “The government is committed to having a flexible skills system which serves the whole economy. Employers can be confident that these organisations have all been rigorously assessed and will offer employers the highest quality service in meeting their skills needs.
“Government Skills will continue to work closely with the UK Commission and Sector Skills Councils to improve the delivery of public services across the public sector.
“I am grateful to the work of the UK Commission and particularly to Charlie Mayfield for leading on this.”
Sector Skills Councils were established to enable employers to exert influence on the UK’s education and skills systems to ensure they meet their needs.
Go Skills, Financial Services Skills Council and Skills for Care and Development have each gone through an assessment process led by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
For the fashion and textiles sector, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills has received and accepted a proposal from Skillset to cover this workforce. Ministers have accepted the proposal with Skillset taking responsibility for the fashion and textiles sector from the start of April.
The relicensing process is overseen and managed by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills through a panel chaired by Charlie Mayfield, who is also chairman of the John Lewis Partnership. He said: “Sector Skills Councils are the principal mechanism by which employers can exert influence over the UK’s education, skills and training systems. As such, it is vitally important that they operate effectively.
“The relicensing process has been designed to ensure just this, and the announcement that a further three SSCs have reached the required standards is an endorsement of their effectiveness.
“This process also gives confidence to the government that each of these organisations is truly backed by its industry, has the support of employers and is properly equipped to identify the skills needs of its sector.”
