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The role of SSCs

At the end of 2006, the Leitch Review of Skills in the UK recommended changes to the UK VQ system which went beyond those already planned within the UK VQ Reform Programme which began in 2005. The report's recommendations focused particularly on England and the four nations have responded to them in different ways, as summarised in The Leitch ambitions.

The four nations' approaches to these recommendations regarding the role of SSCs in the VQ Reform Programme differ as follows:

  • SSCs' development of Sector Qualifications Strategies applies in all four nations.
  • Following a pilot, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are planning to introduce a system by which SSCs approve VQs for accreditation. Details will be announced in the winter.
  • England has legally designated SSCs as bodies to which QCA must have regard in its accreditation decisions
  • England is piloting SSC advising on VQ priorities for public funding

Scotland has never issued a response to Leitch, instead the SNP made a commitment to publish a Skills Strategy and 'Skills for Scotland' was launched in November 2007.