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Skills Development Scotland
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is the new skills body which was announced by Fiona Hyslop at the launch of Skills for Scotland in September 2007, with the aim of driving forward real, positive and sustained change in Scotland's skills performance.
SDS brings together Careers Scotland, Scottish University for Industry (SUfI) under which learndirect scotland operates, and the skills and learning elements of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This national body was launched on 1 April 2008 with around 1,500 staff transferring from the above organisations.
SDS will play a key role in the implementation of the Skills Strategy and new chair, Willy Roe was appointed with effect from 1 April. A new SDS Operating Plan which sets out the new organisation's ambitions for 2008/09 will be published in early April.
More information can be found on the SDS website at http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/.
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills was formally established on 1 April 2008. The Scottish Government has been fully involved in its creation, in determining its remit and high level responsibilities, and in the appointment of its Chair, Chief Executive and Board of Commissioners. The Scotland Commissioner who sits on the Board of the UKCES is Willy Roe, who was also appointed as the Chair of Skills Development Scotland on 1 April 2008. The Commission will:
- Develop an independent view of how employment and skills services can be improved to achieve increased employment retention and progression, skills and productivity;
- Provide advice to inform strategic policy development, analysis and exchange of good practice to drive and shape the skills and employment system to meet the needs of employers and individuals;
- Express its advice and recommendations to the highest levels of governments in the UK; and
- Manage the performance of the Sector Skills Councils and advise Ministers on their re-licensing.
The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) closed on 31 March 2008 and some of the functions of the SSDA transfer to the UKCES, in particular, regulating and performance managing SSCs. Other functions previously carried out by the SSDA will become the responsibility of the new Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, which was also established on 1 April 2008. For more information on the UK Commission for Employment and Skills please visit http://www.ukces.org.uk/.
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils
The Skills for Business network of 25 employer-led Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) will remain open for business but will have a new remit. The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils will take over co-ordination of the Skills for Business network after 1 April 2008. The full extent of the Alliance's scope will develop over time, but its core purpose is to:
- Promote understanding of the role of SSCs within the skills system across the four home nations;
- Co-ordinate policy positions and strategic work on skills with stakeholders across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and
- Help build the performance capability of the Sector Skills Councils, to ensure they continue to work effectively on the employer-driven skills agenda.
The Alliance of Sector Skills Councils will have a Scottish Council and Jack Matthews, Chief Executive of Improve, has been appointed its Chair. For more information go to http://www.sscalliance.org/web/site/home/home.asp.