The Government Report on World Class Skills produced by Lord Leitch has thrust employers, through Sector Skills Councils, at the centre of the programme to position UK plc in the upper quartile of developed countries in skills terms by 2020.
In order to deliver on these challenges the Government is, through the UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES), relicensing each of the 25 Sector Skills Councils between Autumn 2008 and the end of 2009.
Skills for Logistics (SfL) is electing to go through the relicensing process between now and March 2009 which will coincide with the rolling forward of our Business Plan for the period 2009-2012.
There are four stages to the relicensing process:
- SfL will advise the UK Commission by the 15th August 2008 that it intends to submit a business case for a new licence, outlining its key achievements to date
- SfL will submit the business case between September 2008 and June 2009
- The business case will be reviewed by an independent assessor. The assessor will also gather evidence on the performance of SfL and provide a summary report to the UK Commission on the findings
- The Commissioners will review the report and provide UK Government and the devolved administrations with a recommendation on whether a new licence should be awarded
We are confident that relicensing will have a positive effect on our work by increasing focus on key priorities. Through continuous development we aim to improve the skills environment across the sector. The prize is a long-term contract to continue what we have started.
Since receiving our initial license to operate as the Sector Skills Council for the freight logistics industries, SfL has worked with and on behalf of industry to improve the provision of consistent and relevant professional development in parallel with working towards improving perceptions of the industry.
If successfully relicensed, SfL continues to aim to improve productivity and efficiency across the sector, enhancing UK competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The relicensing prospectus states the process will be rigorous with tough standards and will need "powerful support" from employers. We will be judged on both our track record and our ability to move forward with the employer agenda. If you wish to provide support to our application, please do so by submitting your comments using the online feedback form.
