Skills for Justice unveils new Chair

Wednesday, 10 March 2010 12:00 AM

Skills for Justice, the Sector Skills Council for justice and community safety across the UK, is delighted to announce the appointment of its new Chair, Sir Duncan Nichol CBE, former Chief Executive of the NHS Management Executive, who will take up the role from 1 April 2010.

Sir Duncan's career as a senior executive was spent predominantly with the NHS in the north-west of England, where he was knighted for his work. He has significant experience at Chair level within the justice system, having served on the Correctional Services Strategy Board, chaired the Offender Behaviour Programmes Accreditation Panel and the Parole Board for England & Wales. He will continue to serve as chair of the Board of Her Majesty's Court Service.

Sir Duncan replaces outgoing Chair John Randall, who has spent a very productive 6 years with Skills for Justice, overseeing the recent renewal of its license - in which it scored a 'good' rating in all of its work - and the expansion of its remit to include Legal Services. John Randall will continue in his roles as Chair of the Police Advisory Board and Police Negotiating Board.

Sir Duncan said of his new appointment

"I am thrilled by the opportunities that this new role will bring and am really looking forward to working with colleagues at Skills for Justice to build on their recent success driving forward the skills and workforce development agenda."

Skills for Justice Chief Executive Alan Woods OBE said

"Sir Duncan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this role, having served as chair of several panels and boards, and we are absolutely delighted that he has chosen to accept our offer. With his comprehensive background and experience this puts us as a sector skills council in a very strong position in these difficult times.

"I extend my gratitude and thanks to our previous Chair John Randall, who has played a pivotal role in us being relicensed and recent decisions to expand our remit by taking on Legal Services. This means he can leave this post safe in the knowledge that thanks in no small part to him we have cemented our place as one of the very top performing sector skills councils with an exciting future ahead."

Ends

Notes to editors

Skills for Justice is employer-led and works in partnership to ensure that organisations in the Justice sector have the necessary skills and staff to be productive, efficient and effective. We provides additional benefits and value through a coordinated approach to skills issues, better use of resources, increased ability to attract development funding into the sector and increased ability to meet the needs of the individual countries in the UK.

We provide this support through 3 main work programmes

· Engaging with and influencing employers, government departments, devolved administrations and all key partners.

· Understanding and articulating clearly the current and future skills needs of those working in the Justice sector

· Developing tools/services and implementing practical solutions to improve the skills of the workforce, working with employers, learning providers and individuals

We operate across the UK Justice sector, with offices in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, working with a variety of employers in Community Justice, Courts, Custodial Care, Fire & Rescue, Police and Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Forensic Science, and the Children's Workforce.

Employer organisations can benefit from our expert knowledge of workforce development by becoming a subscribing organisation.

To find out more about Skills for Justice, visit www.skillsforjustice.com/mediacentre.

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