Sector Skills Agreement (SSA)

What is an SSA?

Sector Skills Agreements (SSAs) aim to influence how skills and business support services are developed, delivered and funded within a given sector.

The agreements focus on both national sector issues and regional concerns, and aim to help business support and training to better meet the needs of industry.

The environmental and land-based SSA is being developed by Lantra. The project occurs in five stages:

• Assess current and future skills needs

• Assess current education, training and business support provision

• Analyse where the gaps and weaknesses are, and predict future trends

• Agree the scope for collaborative action

• Develop a costed action plan.
  

Why do it?

To increase UK industries’ productivity.

Many companies are not working as efficiently as they could and are falling behind global competition.

Two out of three employers admit they have problems recruiting employees with suitable skills. Staff who already work in industry often struggle to keep their skills up-to-date and access the training they need.

Research shows that skills development improves business performance, increases productivity and maximises profitability. For every pound invested in training, the return can be between £3 and £6. Trained workers are 8% more productive but command only 3.3% higher wages.

The agreement aims to ensure that everybody who works in the sector can access the skills and business support they need, with improved funding arrangements. Businesses will be able to recruit new entrants with suitable qualifications and skills, while the current workforce will have improved access to learning opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need.

Who is involved?

The agreement has been made between:

• Employers

• Education and training providers

• Business support agencies

• Governments

• Funding and regulatory bodies.

Lantra works with employers, sole traders, trade associations, unions, education and training providers, funding agencies, governments and stakeholders from the UK environmental and land-based sector.

Employers originated the agreement by telling Lantra about their current and future skills and business support problems.

The SSA is used to encourage and negotiate with all stakeholders. It aims to help awarding bodies and providers tailor their products and services to meet business needs and influence future funding policies.

Industry action plan

Lantra’s environmental conservation industry has developed a specific action plan to begin to address a range of these issues. Together with stakeholders, learning providers and other partners the industry will begin to implement, monitor and review the key SSA strands and actions.

Organisations that have signed up to this action plan include:

• British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV)

• The National Trust

• Natural England

• Environment Agency

• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

• Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

• Coventry City Council

• Countryside Council for Wales

• Scottish Natural Heritage

• British Waterways

• Groundwork UK

• Wildlife Trust for Wales

• National Farmers’ Union

The plan contextualises the themes, objectives and strands of the Sector Skills Agreement for the Environmental Conservation Industry and provides a framework for the collaborative solutions. 

You can read the industry action plan in the aquaculture SSA report above.