Skills Committee Standing Orders
Legislation and background
1 The Skills Committee was established by the Scottish Funding Council as part of its statutory obligations under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, which merged the former FE and HE Councils into one single funding body. The Act also requires the Funding Council to have regard to the skills needs in Scotland and issues affecting Scotland's economy.
2 Skills for Scotland, which is also part of the economic strategy for Scotland, tasks the Funding Council and with working more closely with each other on a number of key policy areas, including: skills utilisation and workforce development; creating greater match between supply of and demand for learning opportunities offered by providers and employers; and simplifying the skills landscape across Scotland.
Committee membership - general
3 As set out in the Council’s Standing Orders, the membership of a committee will be determined by the chair of the committee and the Chair of the Council.
4 Council committees must have Council representation. The chair, who will be determined by the Council, will be a Council member. Other committee members who are not members of the Council will be referred to as “external members”; and the executive’s guidelines for appointing members should be followed in their selection.
5 The Chief Executive, although a member of the Council, will not normally be a member of any committee, other than the Chair’s Committee.
6 A Council member’s term of office on a committee will run concurrently with their Council term of office. Each external member will be appointed initially for a period of three years, with the possibility of serving for a further period thereafter.
7 On the expiry of a period of appointment of an external member, that member may be invited to serve for a single further period not exceeding three years. Where appropriate, periods of reappointment will be staggered to ensure some continuity of membership.
8 An external member may by giving notice in writing to the chair of the committee resign as a member of a committee. A Council member may by giving notice in writing to the Chair of the Council resign as a member of a committee.
9 If the chair of the committee and the Chair of the Council are satisfied that a member’s attendance at meetings has been unsatisfactory or that the member is otherwise unable or unfit to discharge the functions of a member, they may by giving notice in writing to the member remove that person from the committee.
Remit of the Skills Committee
10 The Skills Committee is a statutory committee of the Scottish Funding Council and is central to the work of Skills Development Scotland, advising both boards on skills needs of and policies for Scotland.
11 Specifically, the Committee will:
collect, monitor and evaluate evidence on skills needs in Scotland and on the supply of, and demand for, learning and training solutions;
- advise on how Scotland's skills needs can be better met by adjusting the Council's funding, regulation and support for colleges and universities and through Skills Development Scotland's operations;
- be a champion and advocate for skills by communicating effectively with key partners, stimulating debate on skills policy through publications, seminars and newsletters and help promote a culture where employers help employees reach their full potential;
- use SFC and funding to maximum effect by harmonising and aligning resources, funding streams, qualifications systems, training opportunities and services with other organisations;
- work towards simplifying the Scottish skills landscape, making it easier and better for industry and business to engage with learning and training providers;
- consider the UK skills policy perspective and the impact that initiatives and policies may have on Scotland; and
- work with other committees and forums on skills related issues and wider economic and social agendas.
12 In carrying out all of its activities, the Committee will have regard to the SFC's and SDS's statutory duties relating to equality and diversity and will support and promote these values.
13 The Committee will encourage collaboration between SFC and SDS in the commissioning of research, the funding of strategic projects and the collection of data, as appropriate.
14 The Committee will seek to align SFC and SDS skills policies, share effort, reduce duplication and increase the joint capacity of executive staff to take forward skills policies and interventions.
Membership of the Skills Committee
15 SFC is required, by legislation, to appoint one of its board members to be Chair of the Skills Committee.
16 The Chairs of both SFC and SDS boards, in liaison with the Chair of the Skills Committee, appoint members, usually for a period of three years. Membership can be extended for a further three years, after which the membership of any given individual on the Committee must cease.
17 Committee membership can be reviewed at any time to ensure the balance of expertise serves the strategic purpose of both organisations.
Proceedings of the Skills Committee
18 The validity of any proceedings of the Skills Committee is not affected by a vacancy in membership or by any defect in the appointment of a member.
19 The secretariat function is provided by the Senior Director of Skills, Research and Knowledge Exchange Directorate within the Scottish Funding Council in liaison with Strategic Development Group.
Quorum
20 As the Committee has primarily an advisory function, there is no quorum for meetings set. However, in the event of an unusually low attendance, the members present may decide to proceed with a meeting at which items on the agenda are considered and any recommendations reached are put to the next Committee meeting for decision.
Role of the Chair in Committee meetings
21 It is the role of the Chair to see that Committee business is conducted in an orderly fashion and to ensure that members obtain a fair hearing. Members wishing to speak shall do so through the Chair.
22 The Chair is also responsible for leading the meeting to reach decisions. The Committee will normally make decisions on the basis of agreement by consensus, but where the Chair believes it to be in the interest of the progress of a debate, or where it is proposed and seconded by two members present, the Clerk may be asked to count and record a vote by a show of hands.
Collective responsibility and standards of conduct
23 In the event that a member has a reservation regarding a particular decision, they may ask for their dissent to be formally recorded in the minute. Once a decision has been reached, all members should support it.
24 The Committee will conduct its business to the same standard as set out under the Code of Conduct for SFC and board members. The Committee will observe the same rules as those under the Ethical Standards of Public Life (Scotland) Act 2000.
Nomination of a Vice-Chair
25 The Chair may nominate a Vice-Chair to act as deputy in the absence of the Chair at Committee meetings.
Clerk to the Committee
26 The Clerk to the Committee will be responsible for the management of Committee meetings, including the correct dispatch of agendas and meeting papers and the drafting of minutes. The Clerk will also advise Committee members on formal matters relating to the Committee.
Conflict of interest
27 Members will have completed a register of interests on appointment to the Committee and must notify the Clerk to the Committee when any changes to this need to be made. Members' registers of interests will be made publicly available on the Committee website.
28 If any member has, or could be perceived to have, an interest in a matter that is being considered by the Committee, then it is their duty to declare that interest at the start of the meeting or as soon as they become aware of it, whether or not that interest has already been recorded in their register of interests. This declaration will be recorded in the minutes by the Clerk. The member must decide, taking advice from the Chair, whether they should:
- remain in the meeting and participate fully;
- remain in the meeting but make no contribution; or
- withdraw from the meeting for the discussion of, and any decision on, the relevant item.
29 The Chair may, in any event, ask a member to leave the meeting if s/he thinks it is appropriate.
30 Whilst individual members have a responsibility to consider their position with regard to conflict of interest, prior to the meeting the Clerk will consider the agenda in the context of the register of members' interests and advise the Chair accordingly.
Attendance at meetings
31 Members are encouraged to attend the Committee meetings. Apologies should be sent to the Committee Clerk in advance of the meeting.
Observers
32 Observers are permitted at meetings with the prior agreement of the Chair and the Committee Secretary.
Timing of meetings
Scheduled (or ordinary) meetings
33 The Committee will meet on an appropriate number of occasions in a year to carry out its duties effectively, but will normally meet quarterly.
34 The schedule of meetings for each year will be agreed by the Committee in the previous year, following consultation with the Chair by the Clerk and taking into account the dates of SFC and board meetings.
Extra (or special) meetings and sub-groups
35 The Chair may convene additional meetings as s/he deems necessary.
36 The Committee may agree to delegate to a sub-group responsibility for a particular matter. The sub-group would then report back to the Committee.
Agenda and papers
Agenda items
37 Any member can, by contacting the Clerk or Secretary to the Committee, suggest items of business. The agenda and designation of business will be decided by the Chair.
38 Items for endorsement or for noting will be starred (*) on the agenda and the Chair will ask at the start of the meeting whether members wish to discuss any of the starred items. (Members should, if practicable, notify the Clerk to the Committee of this wish in advance of the meeting.) Unless members specifically ask to discuss these items, the Chair will assume that they have been endorsed or noted.
Distribution of agenda and papers
39 The agenda of business and accompanying papers will normally be distributed no later than one week before a scheduled meeting of the Committee.
Freedom of Information
Publishing papers
40 Committee agendas and disclosable papers will be published on the Committee's website.
Disclosure status
41 In some cases, particular documents may be subject to disclosure exemptions under the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Where this applies, the particular exemption(s) will be stated.
42 The Committee will decide at the meeting which of its papers, if any, will be non-disclosable or disclosable in edited form.
Approval of minutes of Committee meetings
43 Minutes of a Committee meeting will be submitted to the Chair for preliminary approval, and thereafter to the subsequent meeting of the Committee for formal approval.
Reporting to the Council
44 The minutes of each Committee meeting will be submitted to the SFC and boards at the next scheduled meeting for noting - whether they have been confirmed or are unconfirmed but approved by the Chair.
45 The Committee will conduct an annual self-evaluation and produce an annual report for consideration by the SFC and SDS boards.