People 1st must prove industry support to regain licence

People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, will have to prove it has the confidence and support of employers across the sector if it is to regain its licence to continue operating.

The full timetable for re-licensing all 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) has been unveiled by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).

The re-licensing assessments will be carried out by the National Audit Office as an independent third party in consultation with employers.

Recommendations will be made to ministers about all SSCs by August 2009, with some decisions expected as early as February.

Chris Humphries, chief executive of the UKCES, said: "One of the commission's jobs is to oversee the performance management of the Sector Skills Councils, and re-licensing them is part of that.

"The single most important test for any SSC is whether employers in every part of the UK have confidence that their SSC is clearly identifying the priority skills needs of their sector and having real influence over the skills system."

People 1st was criticised by senior hospitality executives last year for failing to produce any tangible results.

However, it has achieved more success this year, spearheading a high-profile television advertising campaign encouraging young people to work in hospitality and agreeing a deal with Government to free up access to skills training funding.

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By Daniel Thomas

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