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concerned with career progression within their profession or sector, and both make use of National Occupational Standards (NOS), making specific links to qualifications. The key difference is that whereas SSCs can provide information on skills required in any particular geographical or sector area, and can advise on the integration of NOS into the design of programmes, professional bodies link the standards to professional body membership or licence to practice.

Sector Skills Councils

In 2009, there are 25 SSCs. Each is an employer-led, independent organisation covering a specific sector across the UK. Their role is to improve the sector’s productivity and

performance. The four key goals that SSCs address are: • reducing skills gaps and shortages

• improving productivity, business and public service performance

• increasing opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector’s workforce

• improving learning supply, including apprenticeships, higher education and NOS. It is advisable to contact the relevant SSC when embarking on employment-related programme development, to support the case for the programme. However, as yet not all SSCs have developed their higher skills strategies or sector skills agreements. A number of SSCs have published Fd frameworks, which are available through the fdfweb-site

The Sector Skills Development Agency was replaced on 1 April 2008 by the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, which will act as the SSCs’ collective voice; its web-site has the

details of all the SSCs

the Leitch Review recommendations was the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, a strategic body aiming to raise UK prosperity and opportunity by improving employment and skills.

The fdf publication, ‘Higher Education and Skills for Business: Collaborative working between higher education providers and Sector Skills Councils’

guidance and practical examples of collaboration between SSCs and higher education providers. It lists the benefits for providers of collaborating with SSCs as:

• access to sector labour market information and skills intelligence • more access to sector employers

• opportunity to contribute to and influence the skills agenda

• informed employer contribution to vocational programme development, helping to ‘future-proof’ provision

• development of programmes such as foundation degrees that better meet employers’ needs

• curriculum innovation – integration of academic and work-based learning • enhanced graduate employability

• growth – tapping into the market for higher workforce development, thereby increasing enrolment and income

• helping to meet widening participation targets

• authoritative careers information, advice and guidance.

Professional bodies

Professional bodies seek to establish their members’ credibility through adherence to a set of standards or code of conduct, and represent the interests of professional practitioners. Some are also awarding bodies. It should be recognised, however, that professional bodies vary in their organisation and are not in most cases set up to work closely with individual institutions.

Involving professional bodies in occupationally specific qualifications such as foundation degrees can secure professional recognition of the qualification to support the employability and career progression of graduates and, where appropriate, exemption from professional qualifications. Some foundation degrees include an embedded professional qualification, as in the following examples.

East Lancs Institute of Higher Education

East Lancs Institute of Higher Education is currently running a foundation degree in Financial Services and Law, which has been validated by Lancaster University. It was developed to meet the demands of local employers. The college has worked with a cohort of six employers, led by Acorn Financial Management, to assess the training needs of the local financial services sector and identify the key skills shortages within it. These

employers have been actively engaged in the design and development of the course. The Fd incorporates the key knowledge outcomes for the financial services industry, including contemporary development of financial services, information management, research methods, ethics, risk management, legal aspects and regulations, and e-finance. The industry CII qualifications (CII is a worldwide professional organisation for insurance and financial services) are embedded into the entire programme. At the end of the course, students are awarded a foundation degree Financial Services and Law, and also have the opportunity to take their CII exams.

New College Durham

The foundation degree in Housing at New College Durham is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), the professional body for the housing sector. On completion of this three-year qualification, students not only attain a foundation degree in Housing, but also full corporate membership of the CIH. Currently, over 70 students are registered on

the programme.

Some of the benefits of CIH accreditation:

• CIH and housing employers were fully involved in developing the qualification, ensuring that it is current, relevant and meets professional standards as well as equipping students with the skills and knowledge required by housing businesses. • A number of learners who may not want to progress onto a full degree are now able to

become corporate members, and can therefore access the full range of services provided by CIH, which can help to progress their careers.

• Throughout the period of study, learners are student members of CIH, entitling them to a number of benefits, including publications, information alerts, access to research and free entry to regional seminars.

Where students gain additional professional accreditation and/or qualifications in the course of studying for an Fd, institutions include the requirements of professional and vocational bodies as part of the validation process.

The Business Link web-site provides a list of professional bodies: