About Cogent

Cogent is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas Nuclear, Downstream Petroleum and Polymer Industries. It is one of 25 SSCs, which together with the Sector Skills Development Agency, (SSDA), form the Skills for Business Network, (SfBN).

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The £80 billion skills prize
Lord Sandy Leitch’s Review of skills, delivered to the Treasury in December 2006, has recommended a further empowerment of SSCs to manage and deliver an industry-facing strategic agenda on skills. Cogent has fully endorsed these recommendations, which dovetail with the recommendations made by our own employers in a UK-wide programme of consultation with industry. Lord Leitch has said realising the ambitions outlined in his review would result in a potential net benefit of at least £80billion over 30 years.

What do our industries need?
The Cogent industries need thousands of highly skilled scientists, engineers, production operatives, technicians, managers and leaders. We have an ageing workforce and face a decline in the number of technically trained people coming through the system.

What is Cogent doing to help?
Cogent has Five Big Ticket items to deliver the right skills and the right people to our industries, now and in the future.

Cogent Apprenticeship Framework:
Flexible, regional and local solutions to increase the number of apprentices and technicians entering our industries.

Cogent Career Pathways:
A one stop shop web-based careers information and guidance centre.

Cogent Competence Assurance:
Assess your management of risk, benchmark competence standards and promote best practice.

Cogent Industry Passports:
A high integrity, transferable record of suitable experience, training undertaken, and competencies and qualifications achieved.

Cogent Upskill Programme:
Recording and recognition of employee’s existing skills that offers a sinple, modulart approach to continuous learning and development with accreditation against national standards.

Delivery through Skills Academies
Cogent has been successful with its Skills Academy submissions for the process industries and for the nuclear industry.

These Academies will be Cogent’s skills delivery mechanisms into these industries. They will focus on employer-endorsed vocational learning and play a transformational role in driving up standards in learning delivery. They will also make sure that training is delivered in the way that organisations and their employees actually want it. That might mean “bite-sized chunks”, via a Foundation Degree or in a Centre of Excellence. The options will be as varied as the employers we serve.

To read more about our Skills Academies and our programmes visit www.cogent-ssc.com

Cogent membership services
By being part of the Cogent network you will have access to regional employer networks and the opportunity to get your voice heard with local agencies and funders. You will share best practice with other employers and gain support in developing solutions to the skills and recruitment challenges your organisation is facing. You will be part of a collective and community-based approach to solving the skills shortages in your area.

Regional network member events
Employer members will have exclusive access to Cogent’s programme of regional skills seminars and master-classes, featuring influential figures from industry, Government and the world of education and skills.

For an information pack, email Kate at membership@cogent-ssc.com

www.Cogent-SSC.com