Sector Skills Council

What is a Sector Skills Council (SSC)?

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are independent, employer-led, UK–wide organisations designed to build a skills system that is driven by employer demand. There are currently 25 SSCs covering over 90% of the economy and they all work towards the following four key goals:

 -  reduced skills gaps and shortages
 -  improved productivity, business and public service performance
 -  Increased opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce
 -  improved learning supply through National Occupational Standards, apprenticeships, and further and higher education.

What is the IMI responsible for?

 
Each SSC is assigned an economic sector of the UK known as its ‘footprint’. This is based on something called a Standard Industry Classification code, or SIC code. 

SSCs also need to ensure that they cover all sub-sectors within their footprint and to prioritise work where the need is greatest or most urgent.  The sub-sectors covered by the IMI are: 

 -  Light vehicle maintenance and repair
 -  Heavy vehicle maintenance and repair
 -  Motorcycle maintenance and repair
 -  Fast-fit operations (tyres, exhausts, batteries etc)
 -  Accident repair
 -  Body building
 -  Parts distribution and supply
 -  Vehicle sales
 -  Veicle rental and leasing (self drive or with driver)
 -  Roadside assistance and recovery
 -  Lift truck maintenance and repair
 -  Motorsport maintenace and repair

 As the SSC, the IMI’ products and services can be broken down in to two groups:

Core products and services

 -  Labour Market Intelligence or LMI - more commonly referred to as research
 -  National Occupational Standards or NOS - the basis fo all vocational qualifications
 -  Qualifications - fo the IMI this means all vocational qualifications, such as NVQs

Sector specific products and services

 -  These are based on the core work of the IMI but can only be successful because of our background as the professional association for the sector. These are designed to meet the individual and specific needs of the automotive retail industry. This includes our work on accreditation and careers.

Alliance of Sector Skills Councils

The IMI is part of a network of sector skills councils called the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils.  The Alliance is a new organisation comprising all 25 licensed UK Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), the employer-driven organisations that together articulate the voice of the employers of around 90% of the UK's workforce on skills issues. Its core purpose is to:

•  Act as the collective voice of the Sector Skills Councils
•  Promote understanding of the role of SSCs within the skills system across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
•  Co-ordinate policy positions and strategic work on skills with stakeholders across the four home nations
•  Help build the performance capability of the Sector Skills Councils, to ensure they continue to work effectively on the employer-driven skills agenda 

For more information visit www.sscalliance.org

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills

Launched on 1 April 2008, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) is a key recommendation in Lord Leitch's 2006 review of skills. The UKCES is responsible for the licensing process of the 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). The UKCES aims to raise UK prosperity and opportunity by improving employment and skills.

For more information visit www.ukces.org.uk