Sector Skills Councils

The Institute of the Motor Industry is the Sector Skills Council for the automotive retail industry. Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are independent, employer-led, UK–wide organisations designed to build a skills system that is driven by employer demand.

There are currently 21 SSCs covering over 90% of the economy and they all work towards the following four key goals:

• reduced skills gaps and shortages
• improved productivity, business and public service performance
• Increased opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce
• improved learning supply through National Occupational Standards, apprenticeships, and further and higher education.

Sector Skill Council responsibilities

Each SSC is assigned an economic sector of the UK known as its ‘footprint’. This is based on something called a Standard Industry Classification code, or SIC code.

SSCs also need to ensure that they cover all sub-sectors within their footprint and to prioritise work where the need is greatest or most urgent. The sub-sectors covered by the IMI are:

• Light vehicle maintenance and repair
• Heavy vehicle maintenance and repair
• Motorcycle maintenance and repair
• Fast-fit operations (tyres, exhausts, batteries etc)
• Accident repair
• Body building
• Parts distribution and supply
• Vehicle sales
• Vehicle rental and leasing (self drive or with driver)
• Roadside assistance and recovery
• Lift truck maintenance and repair
• Motorsport maintenance and repair

As the SSC, the IMI’s products and services can be broken down in to two groups:

Core products and services:

• Labour Market Intelligence or LMI - more commonly referred to as research
• National Occupational Standards or NOS - the basis for all vocational qualifications
• Qualifications - for the IMI this means all vocational qualifications, such as competence-based qualifications (called VCQs) and vocationally-related qualifications (called VRQs)

Sector specific products and services:

• These are based on the core work of the IMI but can only be successful because of our background as the professional association for the sector. These are designed to meet the individual and specific needs of the automotive retail industry. This includes our work on accreditation and careers.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills

• Launched on 1 April 2008, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) is responsible for the licensing process of the 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). The UKCES aims to raise UK prosperity and opportunity by improving employment and skills.
• The UKCES is a social partnership, led by Commissioners from large and small employers, trade unions and the voluntary sector. Their mission is to raise skill levels to help drive enterprise, create more and better jobs and economic growth.