Food and Drink Industry - Skills for Business Network & Commission for Employment and Skills (CES)
The Skills for Business Network is a body consisting of 25 Sector Skills Councils, each covering a specific sector across the UK, regulated by the Commission for Employment and Skills (CES).
Each SSC is an employer-led, independent organisation with four key goals:
Reduce skills gaps and shortages.
Improve productivity, business and public service.
Increase opportunities to boost skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce.
Improve learning supply for Apprenticeships, Higher Education and National Occupational Standards (NOS).
SSCs provide employers with a unique forum to express the skills and productivity needs that are pertinent to their sector. By coming together as SSCs, employers have:
Greater dialogue with Government and devolved administration departments across the UK.
Higher impact on policies affecting skills and productivity.
Higher influence with education and training partners.
Substantial public investment.
The Commission for Employment and Skills (CES)
What is the CES?
The UK Government and Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have announced the creation of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills from April 2008.
The Commission is a key recommendation in the Leitch Review of Skills and will play a vital role in securing the UK’s ambitions of achieving a world class profile on skills by 2020 and the aspiration of an 80% employment rate.
What will the CES do?
Advise Ministers on the strategy, targets and policies needed to increase employment and skills rates.
Assess progress towards our world class ambition in England.
Monitor the contribution that each part of the employment and skills system makes to sustained employment and career progressions, challenging performance and recommending improvements in policy and delivery.
Ensure that employment and skills services in England are integrated, and are meeting the needs of individuals and employers, and advise Government on whether further institutional change is required.
Have responsibility for the performance of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), advising Ministers on re-licensing.
The Commission will research, request evidence, identify emerging issues and promote new approaches that may influence the aspiration of an 80% employment rate and the Leitch targets for skills.
It will report to the highest levels of Government and publish an annual report on the state of the UK employment and skills system, at all levels from basic literacy and numeracy skills to the highest level skills delivered in Higher Education.
Given its pivotal position, the UK Commission will develop strong relationships with employers, Trade Unions, Jobcentre Plus, the skills and Higher Education funding bodies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Commission will incorporate many of the roles of the Sector Skills Development Agency and National Employment Panel which closed on 31 March 2008. The Commission also replaces the Skills Alliance in England which has already been disbanded.
Board Members of the CES
Led by the Chair, Sir Michael Rake, the members of the Commission will ensure that employers have a pivotal role in ensuring the UK’s employment and skills system responds well to the needs of business and the public services. The Commission will also promote increased investment in workforce skills by employers for a more highly skilled and productive economy.
- Sir Michael Rake, Chair of BT
- Jeremy Anderson, Head of Financial Services, Financial Services KPMG
- Sarah Anderson, Owner, Mayday Group Recruitment
- David Brennan, Chief Executive, Pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca
- Stephen Carter, Group Chief Executive, Media/Communications Brunswick Group
- Murray Coleman, Chief Executive, Bovis Lend Construction Lease UK
- Philip Green, Chief Executive, United Utilities
- Larry Hirst, Chief Executive, IBM UK & IT Ireland
- Chris Hyman, Chief Executive, Serco Business Services
- Julie Kenny, Managing Director, Pyronix Manufacturing Ltd
- Richard Lambert, Director General, CBI
- Charles Mayfield, Chairman, John Lewis Retail Partnership
- Alan Gilbert, President & Higher Education Vice-Chancellor, Manchester University
- Ioan Morgan, Principal, Warwickshire Further Education College
- Sir Robert Kerslake, Chief Executive, Sheffield Local Authority City Council
- Valerie Todd, Managing Director Group Transport Services, Transport for London
- Brendan Barber, General Secretary, TUC
- Dave Prentis, General Secretary, UNISON
- Grahame Smith, General Secretary, Scottish TUC
- Lord Victor, Chief Executive, Turning Adebowale Point
- Liz Sayce, Chief Executive, RADAR
For more information, please visit www.ukces.org.uk
