Q – Why are Cogent, the Polymer sector and the nuclear industry joining forces?
A – Cogent is a Trailblazer SSC and as such has a licence for two years from 1st April 2002.  In order to be a fully licensed SSC, it has to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) for full SSC licensing within that period.   Employers in the Nuclear and Polymer sectors have meanwhile been considering their options for partnership with other aspirant SSCs.  This has led to an agreement between Cogent, Polymer NTO and the British Nuclear Industry Forum (BNIF) to develop together a proposal for a fully licensed SSC based on the similarity of skills issues and cultures which exist between their industries.

Q – What do those sectors have in common?
A – The sectors represented by Cogent, Polymer NTO and BNIF share similar cultures which derive from hazardous technologies, the highly regulated nature of parts of their industries and common skills issues which include the need for highly skilled managers, researchers, engineers and technicians as well as process operators. 

Q - What are the benefits?
A - Increased human and financial resources will enable the enlarged SSC to deliver better and more cost-effective solutions to employers’ skills needs.  It will be a significant SSC covering a workforce of around 800,000 and a contribution to GDP in the region of 6%.   As such, it will have increased influence with Government and other key stakeholders.

Q – What are the challenges ahead?
A – There will be many issues to discuss and practical things to sort out in relation to funding, staffing structures, governance and management, the Board and the name of the new Company.  Our first challenge however, is to submit our joint Expression of Interest and get approval from the Sector Skills Development Agency to develop it ready for full licensing.

Q – Will this cause Cogent, Polymer NTO and BNIF to lose focus on their current sectors?
A – These organisations are led by their employers and their Boards. Senior employers will ensure that they continue to focus on their current sectors both now and during the transition to the new SSC.   The new SSC will bring additional resources and a higher profile which will ensure all sectors benefit from improved services and a better understanding of the needs of each sector on the part of Government and other stakeholders.

Q – How will the new SSC be funded?
A – Cogent already receives substantial funding from employers.  The ‘Cogent Plus’ project team is also working on potential funding models for the new organisation.  For example, a membership model is under consideration whereby in return for a membership fee, employers would be able to access a range of products and services to meet their business needs.  Details of such a model will be made available to employers as soon as it’s been developed.

Q – What level of expertise will the new SSC be able to achieve with such a wide sector representation?  How many people will it employ?
A – The expertise of each of the three organisations will be significantly enhanced by this development.  At this stage it is difficult to quantify exactly how many staff will be employed but information about this will be provided as and when staffing structures are developed later in the year.

Q – How will the composition of the Board change to reflect the new sectors?
A -   The new SSC’s Board will need to include representation reflecting the breadth of its constituent sectors.  Employers from all sectors will be discussing how this is to be achieved over the next few weeks.

 Q – What effect will the restructuring of Cogent, Polymer NTO and BNIF have on their respective existing projects?
A –  It will continue to be “business as usual” for current Cogent, Polymer NTO and BNIF sector work and existing projects will continue to be supported and implemented.

Q – What is the timescale for the creation of the new SSC?
A – The combined Expression of Interest from Cogent, Polymer NTO and BNIF will be submitted to the SSDA by the end of March.   This will be considered by the Board of the Sector Skills Development Agency within six weeks.  If the Expression of Interest is approved, this will be followed by a six months’ development period when the wider sector will flesh out the strategy, organisation and funding arrangements for the SSC.   

Q – When can we expect the new SSC to be fully operational?
A –The proposal for full licensing will be considered by the SSDA during the fourth quarter of 2003 with a view to achieving SSC status from 1st January 2004.

Q – How can you ensure continued delivery through all these changes?
A – Existing funding streams and structures (governance, management and staffing) will continue during this transitional phase to ensure continuity of delivery.   Cogent, Polymer NTO and BNIF are working together to ensure a seamless transition for employers, stakeholders and partners.