Sector Skills Councils Embedding Skills for Life

1. Sector Skills CouncilsEmbedding Skills for Life Sharon Simpson Asset Skills

2. Overview • SSCs and Skills for Life • Sector materials available • Embedding project • Mapping • Whole Organisation Approach • HR Processes • Communication Strategy

3. SSCs’ approach to Skills for Life • Commitment at senior level • Internal awareness raising • Positive view – selling the benefits • Employer engagement and employee support • Partnership working • Assessment tools and learning materials • Sector Skills Agreements • Sector Qualifications Strategy • Whole Organisation Approach

4. Sector Materials Available • Skills Check and Initial Assessment Tools available from DfES (www.toolslibrary.co.uk) • Generic workplace tools • Sector specific tools available: Cleaning, Retail, Road Passenger Transport and Health Care Assistants • Embedded Learning Materials • Wide variety of sectors covered www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/embeddedlearning

5. Embedding Project • Embedding Skills for Life and Key Skills • Awarding Bodies • Staff training, qualification design and centre support • Sector Skills Councils (standard setting body) • Focus on National Occupational Standards (NOS), qualification development and assessment • Cleaning, Retail, Food manufacturing, Clothing manufacturing • Materials available www.totallyskilled.co.uk • Highlighting the literacy and numeracy content of NOS to ensure coverage in qualifications and job descriptions

6. Mapping • Raise awareness of importance of literacy and numeracy skills in the workplace • Workshop for Skills for Life, Careers and Standards & Qualifications staff at SSCs • Analyse job descriptions/person specifications against adult literacy and numeracy curricula • Create literacy/numeracy profile for job roles • Spiky profile • Aid recruitment, training, promotion

7. Whole Organisation Approach • Senior Level Commitment • Where are we now? • Objectives, Budget and Timetable • Working Group/Steering Committee (ULR involvement) • Communication strategy – awareness raising • Embedding into HR processes • Evaluation and monitoring • Not a one off process but part of organisational development

8. HR Processes • Awareness raising for HR specialists and line managers • Job descriptions and recruitment advertising • Interviews and selection (including skills-checking/assessment where appropriate) • Induction (including skills-checking) • Skills audit for existing staff – training needs analysis • Appraisal • Staff development – learning agreement • Corporate materials – review all for readability

9. Communication Strategy • Demonstrate senior level commitment • Awareness raising for line managers and supervisors • Get everyone on board • Publicise learning opportunities to staff at all levels – tie in with national initiatives, eg Learning at Work Day • Caution: check availability of training! • Use Intranet, staff newsletter, etc • Celebrate success

10. Contact Information Sharon Simpson Skills Development Manager ssimpson@assetskills.org Tel: 01604 233336 Mobile: 07841 234161