Who are e-skills UK?

e-skills UK is one of the Sector Skills Councils, licensed by the Government, and is the SSC for Business and Information Technology.

e-skills UK's mission is to ensure the UK has the skills it needs to compete in the global economy. e-skills UK brings together employers, educators and Government to address together the technology-related skills issues no one party can solve on its own. It provides advice, services and programmes that have a measurable impact on IT related skills development in the UK.

Through its two Employer Boards, e-skills UK engages business leaders at the most senior level to provide strategic guidance to the company and employer leadership on behalf of their communities. The Chairs of the Employer Boards come together, along with union and SME representation, to create the Co-ordinating Board which carries fiduciary and legal responsibilities.

In their work, e-skills UK focus on 3 main areas:

1.   The future workforce:
Young people in education: at school and in further and higher education 

2.   The existing workforce:
People currently in employment, working in the IT and Telecoms sector

3.   The wider workforce:
People in any sector of the workforce who need IT skills to succeed in the workplace

Their work with Prospect and other trade unions mainly concerns the last two priorities.

Key products and services

e-skills UK is preparing the existing workforce with the technology-related skills employers need and is helping small businesses make the most of technology.

e-skills UK, like other SSCs, do not run training courses, but they are working in partnership with colleges, universities and employers to develop exciting programmes relevant to the skills needs of the industry and all businesses. Links to some examples of these programmes are below.

What are Sector Skills Councils

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are independent, employer-led, UK-wide organisations, licensed by the Government and 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:

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

SSCs have been established and developed during the last five years and in that time they have built strong working relationships with the UK Government and the devolved administrations, training providers, bodies which fund training and other important skills stakeholders, including the Trade Unions.  The SSCs play a key role in a wide range of skills issues, including:

• working with employers to identify future skills needs
• developing skills and training solutions
• setting occupational standards
• influencing and shaping the future development of qualifications
• designing apprenticeship frameworks
• encouraging greater investment in training
• providing labour market information that assists in long-term business planning.

All 25 licensed SSCs form the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, which acts as the collective voice and promotes understanding of the role of SSCs within the skills system across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The SSCs' performance is monitored and managed by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.