Skillset (Sector Skills Council for Audio Visual industries)
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the audio-visual, photo-imaging and interactive media industries. It has the role of ensuring that the skills needs of all these sectors are identified and action taken to meet them. This means engaging with employers, unions and others.
One of Skillset's key roles is to raise finance from film and TV producers and broadcasters to support training for freelance workers who find it difficult to resources training and fit courses into busy schedules. There is a mandatory levy on film production and a levy based on an agreed formula with broadcasters.
If you are a freelance worker in this sector you may be entitled to substantial financial support so it is well-worth visiting their site.
Occupational standards are agreed and recorded statements of the knowledge and skills expected for a range of tasks within occupations. They are used to design descriptions of job content, appraisal systems, qualifications and even recruitment literature.
The review and redesign of qualifications is one of the key tasks facing Skillset and the other members of the SSC network - they are also a major focus of government strategy. The current policy is that qualifications that are described as vocational and that wish to attract public funding must be sanctioned by the SSC.
This area is developing slowly but eventually there will be qualifications or near qualifications (e.g. skills passport, licenses to practice) being established over the course of the next few years.
Labour Market intelligence (or sometimes Information) otherwise known as LMI is simply the identification of Skills Gaps and Skills Shortages in the industry both currently and as forecast in the future. These predictions are based on workforce research and consultation and usually form the basis of decisions about what sort of trainin should be supported and subsidised.
SSAs are agreements between industrial sectors, co-ordinated by SSCs, and the training providers (universities, colleges and private training companies). They are intended to reshape the 'supply' of training to match the 'demand' for skills by employers. They are the key lever for upgrading skills in the UK - - however, their benefits have yet to be established.