Skills Passport

Increasing the skills and flexibility of the health workforce in the UK

What is a Skills Passport?

A Skills Passport is a portable, online record of an individual’s career history, current skills and training.

The information in a Skills Passport can be independently verified and includes an individual’s education, qualifications, competencies, employment history, training record and objectives.

 It is accessible securely via the internet at anytime, from anywhere.

Background to Skills Passport for Health

The initial concept emerged from a series of national stakeholder events and was included as an action in ‘Modernising Nursing Careers’ (Department of Health 2006).

A pilot phase was run with the nursing profession which was deemed successful after an independent evaluation. The Strategy Group* agreed that the current pilot sites should be broadened beyond nursing and rolled out to an entire region.

The Skills Passport covers the NHS and independent sector, permanent, contract temporary and volunteer workers, clinical and non-clinical staff across all 4 UK countries.

* The project Strategy Group is chaired by Dr David Foster, Deputy Chief Nurse for England and membership includes representatives from the Departments of Health of all four countries, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Unison, Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Military, prison service, education and the Independent sector.

Benefits of Skills Passport

For the employer:

• Reduces duplication of training
• Simplifies Statutory & Mandatory Training
• Simplifies compliance saving time and money
• Reduces the time and costs of hiring (e.g. less need for staff cover and pre-employment administration)
• Provides visibility over the skills and abilities of the entire workforce
• Allows easy identification of training needs and subsequent targeted of training to those that need it most
• More flexible workforce – both within one employer and enabling employers to re-organise as they wish
• Drives both productivity and quality.

For the individual:

• A single verified and portable career record from education to retirement, giving mobility and flexibility across the sector and beyond
• Speeds up career progression
• Provides easy identification of training needs
• Personal development planner to define and track objectives
• Allows easy demonstration suitability for new role or revalidation of professional registrations
• Faster career progression and less administration.