Sector Skills Agreements launch into action in the regions
It's full steam ahead for the Sector Skills Agreements (SSAs) being developed in line with regional needs, with the East of England and the North West regions leading the field, but others coming along quickly. The SSAs describe employer needs for their healthcare workforce, and will ensure the health sector addresses skills gaps.
The agreements are a vital mechanism for taking forward the skills agenda locally and nationally. This will help employers secure the correctly skilled workforce to deliver future services for emerging healthcare needs.
Bill Rammell, Minister of State leading the national Skills Agenda, launched the East of England Health Sector Skills Agreement praising its ground breaking work. Speaking to over 200 health employers and sector partners in November 2007 at the Hilton London Stansted, he outlined the challenges pointing to competition in the general economy from India and China.
He praised the new East of England Health SSA, which is a ‘first' for the healthcare sector in the English regions. It was produced through collaboration between health sector employers and education and development agencies from across the six East of England counties.
If you were in the East region, you may have caught Brian Payne, Skills for Health's Executive Director of UK Networks, speaking on local radio about the SSA and the Joint Investment Framework. He explained how the region is set to benefit from a £21.2 million three-year investment in healthcare skills, which will tackle skills gaps and shortages.
The North West SSA will be launched on 29th February, marking a tremendous achievement of partnership working in the region between Skills for Health, the Learning and Skills Council, NHS North West Strategic Health Authority and all our partners in the Health and Social Care Sector Skills Productivity Alliance.
The future work in the North West will be focused strongly on action, tackling the main challenges for healthcare employers and encouraging a competence based approach to workforce development. Challenges include service development, driven by healthcare and public health reforms focusing on patient and user needs, growth of independent and voluntary sector as providers of NHS services, financial pressures and expectations of clearer return on investment, workforce changes and impact of migration.
To find out more about the SSAs see http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/
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