MoD's Memorandum of Understanding

Memorandum of Understanding with the Sector Skills Development Agency is good news for Servicemen and Servicewomen.

Hannah Lim from the office of Rear Admiral Simon Goodall, Director General of Training & Education, explains why...

As a member of HM Armed Forces, you are likely to be highly skilled but, for some, your qualifications may lag behind your skills because of difficulties in mapping your skills to the equivalent civilian area. Well, that is about to change. In November, the MoD signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA). The agreement is another step in the MoD’s commitment to learning by its support of skills development. The agency oversees the work of the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), which have a vital role in developing the standards on which qualifications are based. The MoD’s success to date can be seen in the number of its people currently working towards qualifications: around 30,000 NVQs, 11,500 Modern Apprenticeships, and 300 degrees. But we can do better.

Rear Admiral Goodall says: ‘The knowledge and skills our military and civilian staff acquire are of a high order and it is vital that they are properly recognised in all walks of life. This agreement will allow us to be more effective in influencing the development of national occupational standards, which in turn will lead to better and more relevant accreditation opportunities through the newly formed Sector Skills Councils.’

By linking up with the SSDA, the MoD can now influence the learning agenda. The SSCs represent specific skill sectors such as engineering, logistics and medicine. Each sector will draw on ideas from major employers about their skill requirements and the MoD will have a strong voice. Of the probable 27 councils, five have already been set up and the SSDA itself will cater for any sectors not covered by a council, including cross-sector skills. So the MoD will help SSCs set the skills agenda.

Through the Memorandum, the MoD will taking part in the planning stages of councils’ development. As one of the largest training providers and employers, it is likely to be involved in as many as 13 councils. There will not be a separate defence sector, but the range of military skills will be represented and recognised by the relevant councils. The MoD will also be involved in forming policies on standards and qualifications.

DGTE has already identified points of contact within the Services to act as the focus for the relevant sectors. Links with councils will give greater awareness of the MoD’s needs, including issues like ethos in training, and flexible learning patterns because of the need to deploy at short notice. This will result in the development of standards and processes that integrate military needs into the particular sector.

The principal purpose of military training is to meet operational requirements, with the benefits measured in operational success. If this training can obtain accreditation for its non-military roles, then both the individual and the nation’s employment base will benefit. By accreditation is meant:

- recognition outside the Services

- full comparability with civilian skills qualifications

- ability to prove the worth of military training

- fully transferable skills

- increased confidence of individuals in their abilities.

In rigorously pursuing this accreditation strategy, the MoD is aiming to build for the future. Appropriately targeted and constructed accreditation will aid recruitment. A shrinking younger population means a reducing recruitment pool. The relevance of our training to external civilian qualifications will be reinforced by recognition through the SSCs and will be increasingly attractive to potential recruits who seek to develop high-grade skills, across a very broad area of opportunity. Furthermore, once they have been attracted, they are more likely to stay, to fully maximise learning opportunities through an employer that cares about their personal development. When, eventually, they do leave, they do so in the knowledge that they possess the right credentials to compete for good jobs.

The Admiral regards this new link with the SSDA and the SSCs as a vital ‘enabler’ for the development of his people. As he explains, ‘Although the accreditation of skills is just one part of DGTE’s work, it gives MoD the opportunity to influence the type of skills that lead to accreditation and how they are accredited. This is important for the organisation and every individual in the Services and the Civil Service. We have made a good start on accreditation, but we are now in a position to influence events, rather than react to them, with the prospect of taking the accreditation opportunities for our people further and faster.’

[The signing ceremony to formalise the Memorandum was held on Thursday 13 November 2003 at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It was signed by Rear Admiral Goodall, on behalf of the MoD, and Christopher Duff, Chief Executive of the SSDA.]