Links: Agencies working in specific areas

Foundation Degree Forward http://www.fdf.ac.uk/

National body that supports the development and validation of high quality Foundation degrees. It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to support employer engagement across higher education programmes generally and in relation to Foundation degrees specifically.

Engineering and Technology Board, ETB http://www.etechb.co.uk/

Promoting the art and science of engineering and advancing education in engineering and technology

Women into Engineering, WISE http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/

The WISE campaign collaborates with a range of partners in encouraging UK girls of school age to value and pursue STEM or construction related courses in school or college, and move on into related careers.

Creative and Cultural Skills http://www.ccskills.org.uk/

Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, performing, literary and visual arts.

Summit Skills http://www.summitskills.org.uk/

SummitSkills is the Sector Skills Council for the building services engineering sector. Created by employers, for employers, to address five key objectives:
- Alleviate skills gaps
- Improve productivity
- Provide career progression
- Develop a competent workforce
- Champion the sector's skills agenda

Environmental and Land-based Sector http://www.lantra.co.uk/

Lantra works to improve the level of skills and business performance in companies across 17 industries, that together make up the environmental and land-based sector in the UK.

Skills for Logistics http://www.skillsforlogistics.org/

Skills for Logistics is the Sector Skills Council which works alongside companies involved in moving, handling or storing goods.

Asset Skills http://assetskills.org/

Asset Skills is the Sector Skills Council for the Property, Facilities Management, Housing and Cleaning industries and its main aim is to improve and develop skills in these sectors.

Cogent http://www.cogent-ssc.com/

Sector Skills Council for Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Petroleum and Polymers industries.

Improve Food and Drink Sector Council http://www.improveltd.co.uk/

Improve has a 'careers' section which contains all the information needed to help individuals including information about new developments in the sector, job profiles and pay rates and case studies of real individuals working in food and drink jobs.

Additionally, the website contains details of vocational training, FE and HE courses

VETNET http://www.hefce.ac.uk/widen/lln/funded/networks/vetnet.htm

VETNET Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) is a national network of veterinary schools, universities and colleges committed to providing opportunities for students on vocational courses to progress into and through veterinary-related higher education. VETNET LLN aims to:
- produce a comprehensive qualification map to clarify existing animal and veterinary-related courses available across the country
- work closely with institutions to develop curricula that will allow vocational learners to progress smoothly into veterinary and animal science-related degree courses
- establish progression agreements between institutions across the network that clarify progression routes for vocational learners into higher education
- compile a catalogue of career and professional development opportunities for those working in the animal and veterinary sectors.
VETNET LLN also works with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, British Veterinary Nursing Association and Lantra (the Sector Skills Council for the land-based industries).
It will provide a national spine linked to local partnerships and giving a focus for key initiatives. The LLN includes not just veterinary practice, but also animal care and welfare, and various professions allied to veterinary practice, such as veterinary nursing, veterinary technicians, and technologists and physiotherapists.

Teacher Scientist Network http://www.tsn.org.uk/

This network unites scientists and teachers in Norfolk to share the excitement of science in the classroom, give a better understanding of the impact of science on the world we live in and to encourage more students to train/qualify for science related employment.

Reseachers in Residence http://www.researchersinresidence.ac.uk/cms/

Researchers in Residence facilitates a mutually beneficial relationship between researchers and secondary school students by placing researchers (PhD and post doctoral) in secondary schools across the UK.

Achieveability http://www.achieveability.org.uk/

AchieveAbility is a national network formed to promote awareness of the needs of those with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia or Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) in the learning environment.