Skills for Health is taking forward Sector Skills Agreements (SSA) and working with and through its partners to meet the challenge of developing a highly skilled, occupationally competent and flexible workforce. A workforce that is capable of responding to the rapid advancement of the global economy and the changing characteristics of labour markets and healthcare across the UK and Europe. Our over-arching strategic intent is to:
'Develop a skilled flexible and productive workforce for the whole health sector in all UK nations, to raise the quality of health and healthcare for the public, patients and service users'
To deliver this intent Skills for Health has four key strategic aims. We will work with and through partners to achieve:
Strategic aim 1
Engage with health sector employers to ensure we can be the authoritative sector voice on skills and workforce development for the whole sector:
- Engage effectively with health sector employers so that the Skills for Health Board and Council are recognised as the authoritative sector voice on the skills and development of the workforce for the whole sector
- Engage with a wide range of employers across the whole health sector through a coordinated marketing and communications strategy, to ensure we understand and can represent their perspectives and needs
- Exert influence on behalf of employers at national, UK and European level on government policies that have an impact on workforce skills
- Build alliances and partnerships across health, education and economic development agencies to support the implementation of the Sector Skills Agreements
- Secure support and a wider range of income streams from employers and other agencies for the work of Skills for Health.
Strategic aim 2
Inform the development and application of workforce policy through research and the provision of robust labour market intelligence.
- Profile the UK Workforce, interpret the data and disseminate Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) on trends and issues in the UK and international health workforce
- Lead, and with partners, deliver a coherent and consistent UK-wide approach to the identification, use and application of Labour Market Information and Intelligence
- Build credibility with employers, partners and sponsors to be recognised as the authoritative source of sector Labour Market Intelligence for the whole UK health sector
- Deliver and disseminate authoriatative research on priority issues which is used to inform and influence workforce policy
- Evaluate the impact and outcome of key activities.
Strategic aim 3
Implement solutions which deliver a skilled, flexible and modernised workforce capable of improving productivity, performance and reducing health inequalities:
- Implement, review and continually renew the UK-wide, national and regional Sector Skills Agreements
- Enable the recognition and transferability of achievement within the UK and Europe to meet the needs of employers and learners, including the development of a rationalised framework of qualifications
- Influence the funding, commissioning and supply of education, training and development to reduce skills gaps
- Champion the development of innovative education, training and development solutions, including e-learning
- Co-ordinate a shared approach to cost effective quality assurance of healthcare education, helping to optimise patient safety and wherever possible reduce the regulatory burden on education providers
- Support the development of innovative, patient and user focussed service redesign and new ways of working, including skills mix choices and appropriate use of existing, extended and new roles within modernised healthcare careers
- Enable individuals entering and in the workforce, including those with disabilities, to gain access to learning, invest in, value and make the most of their abilities and potential. This will include easily accessible information, advice and guidance and innovative approaches to skills development and escalation
- Help the sector modernise its approach to future workforce needs, engage in the youth agenda and build capacity to provide pre-employment work experiences
- Improve participation in learning and employability in the health sector workforce through implementation with partners, of a strategy to improve language, literacy, numeracy and information technology skill levels.
Strategic aim 4
Champion an approach to workforce planning and development that is based on the common currency of national workforce competences.
- Develop, maintain and review a comprehensive database of national workforce competences and ensure they are recognised as the common language and currency of workforce development
- Produce a series of frameworks, products, tools and guides to support recognition and transferability of skills which have an excellent reputation for quality and ease of use
- Demonstrate the benefits to the public, patients, service users and employers of a competence based approach to developing a more skilled, flexible and productive workforce.
In pursuit of these strategic aims we are committed to respecting diversity, working inclusively and developing the capacity and capability of the organisation and all our staff, demonstrating good corporate governance, sound financial, human resource and risk management.
As an Sector Skills Council we are committed to:
- Improving productivity and public sector performance
- Reducing skills gaps
- Boosting skills across the sector including equal opportunities
- Impoving learning supply
- and playing a full part in the work of the Skills for Business network
