After many months of pushing, last month it was confirmed that all sector skills councils (SSCs) must demonstrate active student engagement in order to receive their new license and funding from the government.

The new requirement was confirmed at a meeting with Bill Rammell and various sector agencies and it will mean that an important gap in learner voice will finally be closed.

But why is this needed?

Well, employers engage with providers through the employment and skills boards and sector skills councils, while providers and learners engage through learner involvement strategies and student councils, but there are very few links to ensure that employers know what learners in the system want and need.

In the interests of making the further education system more 'demand-led', the government is giving sector skills councils, as representatives of different employers, greater influence over which courses get funded, how many places are planned and where those courses are delivered.

There is a clear need for triangulation, employers must listen to learners when taking these decisions.

The successful proposal will mean learners are integrated into the sector skills re-licensing.

I was very much aware that, with some 25 sector skills councils ranging from the environmental and landbase industries council Lantra to the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for student engagement, but already Lifelong Learning UK has created a learner position on its national council and we expect many other sector skills councils to follow its lead.

It's fantastic that's now expected, and with our support, no doubt we will together be able to create an effective learner involvement strategy for all different SSCs ensuring the missing piece of the triangle fits.

The Blogs on this site represent the individual views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of the National Union of Students.

All links in blogs will open in a new browser window.

The permanent URL for this specific blog entry is: http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/bethwalker/275730.aspx