Background to Sector Skill Agreements SSAs

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Background to Sector Skill Agreements (SSAs)

• One of the key announcements in UK Governments
  Skills White Paper in 2003
• SSAs are being led by the Sector Skills
  Development Agency (SSDA) in partnership with
  SSCs, Government and key stakeholders.
• SSCs operate on UK-wide basis Wales, Scotland
  and Northern Ireland as well as England.

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Four strategic objectives

• Increase productivity
• Address skills gaps and shortages
• Provide greater opportunities
• Ensure a more responsive education and training
  system across the UK
• Sector Skills Agreements are the means by which
  each sector is able to secure the range and level
  of skills needed to achieve productivity at
  internationally competitive levels.

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What do we want to achieve?

• Ensuring that the skills employers want are the
  skills employers get.
• Tangible improvements in the performance of
  businesses in Wales and across the UK.
• A means for employers and government to
  collaborate in meeting skills needs of sectors.
• A genuine opportunity for employers to shape
  training provision.
• An increase in employer commitment to skills
• Better to access to quality and relevant training
  for individuals.

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Who is it an agreement between?

• Agreement between employers (and employees)
  within a sector, brokered by and with their SSC
• Setting out the sectors skills requirements
  and what they will contribute.
• Agreement between sector and government
• To ensure that the SSA can be effectively
  delivered.
• Agreement between SSC and partner organisations
  To guarantee support for the proposals contained
  in SSAs
• Making things happen on the ground.

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SSA What are the key stages?

• Assessment of current and future skill needs
• Assessment of current provision
• Analysis of the gaps and weaknesses in current
  workforce development activity
• An assessment of the scope for collaborative
  action
• The development of a costed action plan

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SSA Timetable across UK

• Four Pathfinders across the UK
• England Draft SSA stages 1-3 sent to
  stakeholders for consultation. Response by 1
  February. Agree action plan by end March
• Scotland Work in progress in Scotland, aiming
  for March 2005.
• Northern Ireland more likely to be June 2005

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Way forward

• Another six SSCs/ Tranche II will shortly be
  starting work on the SSA.
• Further 6 SSCs beginning Stage One of SSA.
• Focus now on Pathfinders and working together to
  draw up effective agreements on the ground that
  deliver for Wales.