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Sector Skills Councils

Each major sector of the UK economy has an SSC. All SSCs, including Government Skills, are:

• licensed by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills [External website]
• monitored on behalf of DIUS by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills [External website].

Their overall purpose is to reduce skills gaps and shortages in their sector, with the aim of improving productivity, business and public service performance. SSCs work to increase opportunities to boost employees' skills and productivity by improving ‘learning supply’ – the learning opportunities available. These include:

• nationally recognised qualifications (and the National Occupational Standards on which these are based)
• apprenticeships
• training provided by further education colleges and other bodies

SSCs enable employers to influence how public money for skills development is spent. Employers in the sector collectively decide what their SSC should focus on and often lead and participate in individual programmes. SSCs actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the sector, as well as bodies and organisations involved in designing and delivering learning.

More information on Sector Skills Councils is available on the Sector Skills Councils Alliance website [External website].