Creation of a Skills Executive Partnership Agreement

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A decision made (11/12/2007) regarding: Creation of a Skills Executive Partnership Agreement - Ministers of ED, ESC and SS.

Decision Reference: MD-S-2007-0085
Decision Summary Title :	Skills Executive Partnership Agreement		Date of Decision Summary:	Monday, 10 December 2007
Decision Summary Author:	Mike King, CEO of ED and Chair of Officer Working Group		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	Skills Executive Partnership Agreement		Date of Written Report:	Thursday, 15 November 2007
Written Report Author:	Skills Executive Officer Working Group		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Creation of a Skills Executive Partnership Agreement – Ministers of ED, ESC and SS
Decision(s): The Ministers for Economic Development, Education, Sport and Culture and Social Security have agreed to the content of the Partnership Agreement and signed it accordingly. This Agreement forms part of the Skills Executive Proposal and Implementation Plan agreed by the Council of Ministers Item B8, 15th November 2007.
Reason(s) for Decision: To establish and clarify the basis of a partnership between the Ministers for Economic Development, Education, Sport and Culture and Social Security with regard to the formation and activities of a Skills Executive. It outlines the broad agreement made by the Ministers for Economic Development, Education, Sport and Culture and Social Security and sets out the basis of a working arrangement between the Ministers acting as the States of Jersey Skills Executive. It will be subject to further discussion and amendment as the partnership matures and working arrangements develop. The Skills Executive will act on behalf of the Council of Ministers to provide political oversight and leadership for the development, resourcing and subsequent activity of an employer led organisation (Skills Jersey). This body will be directly responsible for the achievement of the wishes and aspirations of the Council of Ministers with regard to skills development, as agreed by the Council on 15th November 2007.
Resource Implications: There are no financial or manpower issues
Action required: Partnership Agreement to be signed
Signature:		Position: Minister for
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Creation of a Skills Executive Partnership Agreement - Ministers of ED, ESC and SS.

Creation of a Skills Executive

Partnership Agreement

Ministers for ED, ESC and SS

Purpose of the Agreement

To establish and clarify the basis of a partnership between the Ministers for Economic Development, Education, Sport and Culture and Social Security with regard to the formation and activities of a Skills Executive.

It outlines the broad agreement made by the Ministers for Economic Development, Education, Sport and Culture and Social Security and sets out the basis of a working arrangement between the Ministers acting as the States of Jersey Skills Executive. It will be subject to further discussion and amendment as the partnership matures and working arrangements develop.

Purpose of the Skills Executive

The Skills Executive will act on behalf of the Council of Ministers to provide political oversight and leadership for the development, resourcing and subsequent activity of an employer led organisation (Skills Jersey). This body will be directly responsible for the achievement of the wishes and aspirations of the Council of Ministers with regard to skills development, as agreed by the Council on 15th November 2007.

Composition of the Skills Executive

The Skills Executive will comprise of the Ministers for Economic Development, Education, Sport and Culture and Social Security.

Collective Responsibilities

The Skills Executive will undertake to establish a process and timescale for implementing the organisational proposal as agreed by the Council of Ministers. Subject to the development of appropriate review, planning and funding mechanisms, it will make resources available to the new organisation, including: ring-fencing and ‘pooling’ those resources currently held in their respective departments comprising (but not necessarily restricted to):

resources currently retained by ESC for further education and adult vocational education;
resources currently within ESC and SS directly related to careers information, advice and guidance;
resources currently within ED for skill development initiatives and employment related research.

Individual Responsibilities

Within the Skills Executive, each Minister will retain his or her individual ministerial responsibility for activity and resources applied to Skills Jersey. However, the Ministers within the Skills Executive will undertake to seek and obtain a ‘collective agreement’ on strategy and the deployment of those resources allocated to Skills Jersey as a means of fulfilling their Ministerial duties in this respect.

Working Arrangements

The Skills Executive will meet no less than three times per year.

It will be advised and supported by the appointed Head of the Skills Service.

Chairmanship will be provided by each Minister for a period of one year in accordance with an agreed rolling programme. The Minister for Economic Development will act as Chair in the first year (2008).

All formal meetings of the Skills Executive will be minuted and approved at the following meeting.

Updating and development of the Agreement

This partnership agreement will be the subject of review at three yearly intervals, but may be amended more frequently by request and approval of all three Ministers.

Problem Solving

In general, this partnership agreement provides a mechanism for political consensus on actions and strategies to achieve the wishes of the Council of Ministers with regard to the development of work-related skills in the Island. In instances where no consensus or agreement can be achieved between the Ministers, within the Skills Executive, the matter in question will be referred to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister may discuss the matter with relevant Ministers, or refer the matter to the Council of Ministers in order to achieve an agreed resolution to the problem.

Signatories

……………………………...

Minister for

Economic Development

Date: ……………………….

………………………………

Minister for

Education, Sport and Culture

Date: ……………………….

………………………………

Minister for

Social Security

Date: ……………………….